Winter habitat.

The main aim is to carry out extensive population and habitat surveys to assess current status of endangered Siberian musk deer in Great Xing’anling, Inner Mongolia of China, and quantify the harmful impacts from the local minority communities and tourism through socio-economical investigation. Further objectives are to conduct environmental education in local minorities to raise and improve nature consciousness and determine the effective methods to reduce the detrimental influences from the locals.

Based on the collected data, the team will work out the realistic measures to improve the conservation of Siberian musk deer population, its habitat and the whole ecosystem. The main achievements are:

A) Based on the population and habitat surveying in the field and the information collected from all sources, we will determine current Siberian musk deer populations and the seasonal habitat utilization patterns, then the status of endangerment, conservation and the future population dynamics will be assessed.

B) Through the structural, semi-structure and participating socio-economical surveying in local communities, the local living styles such as hunting and collecting, and the trading of musk sac and other wildlife products will be investigated, from which the weight and efficiency of each economical forms will be differentiated, and the potential relationships between the wildlife-utilization and the local culture system will be decided. Furthermore, the impacts upon musk deer and local ecosystem from the flourishing tourism will be evaluated, and the scientific policies about the tourism managing and eco-compensation can be built up.

C) Through the interaction with local communities, schools and local governmental institutions, the environmental educations such as the public presentation, talks and lecturing will be carried out, and the concept of wildlife conservation and the knowledge of endangered Siberian musk deer will be publicized in the area.