TROPHY HUNTING - Wildlife Conservation in China: Preserving the Habitat of China's Wild West - page 179

Bu'erjin (Xinjiang)
The Kokh'shun Tau Mountains, with low hills rising to approximately 1,600 meters in
elevation in a roughly 900 km 2 area, constitute most of the Bu'erjin hunting area. These
hills appear to have a healthy (although possibly isolated) population of argali, but no other
species of conservation concern or trophy interest. (Ibex are present in nearby mountain
ranges, but not within the hunting area.) Local pastoralists are Kazak, and as of 2001,
five of twenty-five had been relocated from the hunting area to lower-elevation (and more
fixed) grazing lands, although whether this was in deference to argali or simply part of the
general sedentarization of pastoralists is unclear. The remaining twenty families used this
range only for two winter months, and spent the remainder of the year in other ranges.
Vegetation appeared to be abundant, and, from outward appearance, competition between
argali and domestic livestock appeared to be low. Two or three ethnic-Kazak technicians
lived in the range, providing horses for hunters as well as informally monitoring and
passively deterring poachers by their presence. Two Kazak guides also conducted ap-
proximately monthly vehicle-based patrols around the perimeter of the mountain range,
usually on Sundays (when locals would be most likely to engage in poaching). 36
Gurengou (Hejing, Xinjiang)
The Gurengou hunting area in Hejing County, Xinjiang, is situated south of the main crest
of the Tian Shan, in rolling and occasionally cliffy mountainous terrain with abundant
sedge meadows. Gurengou Village is at about 2,900 meters, and nearby mountains rise to
about 4,000 meters. Unofficial reports suggested there might be as few as 4,100 domestic
sheep in the area. Grassland conditions seemed very good during my short visit in 2001,
with previous years' litter generally evident, few dying plants, surprisingly high ground
coverage, and generally vigorous-appearing plants. According to an official from Bayin-
gol Prefecture (based in Korla), which is responsible for hunting in this area, Gurengou
serves primarily as a winter range for argali. He told me that in the month of March it is
not unusual to see 100-200 argali along the mountain slopes within walking distance of
the small village. Clearly, Gurengou is another stronghold for argali. 37
Funding
Money still makes the world go round, so we must examine the money trail involved
in Chinese trophy hunting. No comprehensive national law or regulation governs the
financing of operations at hunting areas, so it is not surprising that no two are funded
identically. Still, broad patterns emerge from which one can infer the funding situation
in those areas never visited.
Almost all trophy hunters have used foreign booking agents as intermediaries. Because
most overseas booking agents retain 15 to 20 percent as commission, funds reaching China
are 80 to 85 percent of published prices. Foreign-based agents have then transferred funds
to Beijing-based agents, who, after taking their share, forward the remaining funds to the