summertimes, but again the government is proud of how they have restricted the numbers of these so-called ninja miners (ET-2). The threat then mostly comes from the possibility of more mines in the future. Though the government is protective of its environment when it comes to mining (ET-2), the economic incentives of mining are always seductive, and Mongolia has shown little restrain thus far in its short democratic history. A large chunk of Bayan-Ulgii is currently being explored (Figure 2) for its mineral resources.
4.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Research Time constraints did not allow for an all-encompassing study of Kazakh eagle falconry in the Bayan-Ulgii province. Research would have benefited from a complete analysis of interviews from each soum, rather than just two. Furthermore, two translators were used during interviews with differing abilities. The first translator, while sufficient, acts mostly as a tourist guide, while the second translator was more proficient in English. As a result, there may be discrepancies in the volume of details offered, and the translation of certain questions or complex topics and vocabulary. One interview was lost to a corrupted file, with no backup. This interview was with one of the brothers of another hunter and offered a different perspective. Quantitative data, such as specific land imagery regarding land cover change, or surveys of specific prey species, would be invaluable to determining the health of the ecosystem against local perceptions. The Mongolian Eagle Hunter’s Association should be included in other research projects, as they were unavailable for questioning during this study, and they have no online presence. Other research might focus on perceptions of authentic eagle falconry in the aimag to help fully contrast the differences between today’s version of eagle falconry and previous traditions.
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