Musk deer in China, although provided with strong legal protection, are subject to varying levels of exploitation depending on the de facto conservation system operating in each locale. In southern Qinghai Province's Baizha Forest, musk deer have declined in most areas, due primarily to snaring by non-local people. However, musk deer, as well as blue sheep and white-lipped deer populations, in close proximity to Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and some villages are afforded protection from most poaching activities, although they still suffer incremental loss of habitat as human and livestock populations increase. An intermediate situation exists near a government-operated forestry guard station, where poaching by outsiders is deterred, but the guards themselves kill some wildlife. The existence of differing protection levels within an area where all wildlife exploitation is nominally proscribed suggests that local cultural practice and economic contingencies are more important than legal sanctions alone.