To the attention of GSCO members: The following document contains detailed information about the changes that have been introduced regarding the accounting of trophies previously called "Corsican mouflons".
Effective April 5, 2022
GSCO and a group of visionary French outfitters, known as the French Outfitters Association (FOA), have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop and launch a new and large-scale mouflon conservation program in the south of mainland France. This program is known as the Corsican Mouflon Conservation Program on the French mainland. Below are the details and recent changes in the procedures for accounting mouflon in GSCO as a result of the implementation of this new program. GSCO is grateful to the hunting companies that have already participated in this program, and understands that by the time this message is passed on to our members, even more will join it. This new conservation program is the result of two indisputable facts:
1. Hunting is the No. 1 conservation tool, and
2. GSCO operates a very successful prize and reward platform that significantly and uniquely impacts both hunting and conservation.
HISTORY
As many of you know, a few years ago GSCO indefinitely suspended the registration of Corsican Mouflon trophies. The reasons for this moratorium were diverse, but included, among other things, the following issues and problems:
1. The name "Corsican mouflon" was misleading and problematic, since these sheep live on the island of Corsica, where hunting for them is prohibited. A more accurate name for rams that were previously registered by GSCO would be "Corsican-influenced moufflon found on the French mainland" or "Corsican moufflon from mainland France".
2. There is a high level of disagreement and commercial competition among outfitters and hunting agents as to which relatively small and isolated areas of the southern part of mainland France contain purebred descendants originally imported from Corsica sheep, or those that may be strongly influenced by these originally imported descendants, but found in neighboring areas.
3. Some purebred Corsican mouflons, originally imported from Corsica to the mainland, were bred and harvested in one or more aviaries, and GSCO registers only trophies obtained in free territories.
4. In some free lands in the south of mainland France, which were originally the place (places) of resettlement from Corsica, there was no stable hunting stock at the time of the moratorium. The hunting quotas set by the Government for these hunting farms were often zero or only a few units per year due to the low population size. The reasons for the low population level were mainly explained by predation of wolves and poor living conditions in free territories. People close to the situation also expressed the general opinion that there is ignorance about the plight of these sheep, as well as an insufficient assessment of their trophy status. Thus, they were transferred to the category of "bait for wolves".
A PROMISING AND PROACTIVE SOLUTION
Working with a group of French outfitters known as the Corsican Moufflon Outfitters Association on the French mainland, or FOA for short, GSCO and this group decided to create a joint moufflon hunting and conservation program in the south of mainland France, as described below.
1. From now on, the Corsican mouillon, which lives in the south of mainland France, will be called the FRENCH CORSICAN MOUILLON (Ovis gmelini Corsicana-continentis). GSCO will transfer previously registered Corsican Mouflon trophies to this new category. The previous category of Corsican mouflon will no longer exist.
2. Future Corsican Mouflon trophies must be mined in the region indicated on the attached map using the services of an outfitter member of the FOA. GSCO has adopted this position in connection with the significant environmental measures on the ground (see discussion below) that FOA is implementing in this region. In addition, FOA has agreed to work with other outfitters and include them in the FOA if they also agree to make the same contribution to the preservation of mouflon. FOA will be mainly headed by the French and will be managed and regulated according to the laws of France. Membership in FOA will be actively monitored for compliance with membership and participation requirements (by FOA), and FOA will notify GSCO in the event of a new member joining, losing membership or being expelled.
3. The current members of the FOA are listed below, and the total number of members participating in the FOA is expected to grow. The main contact address of FOA is also indicated. The hunter should ask whether his outfitter is a full member of the FOA or not. The FOA contact person will inform GSCO and other organizations about the number of active members.
Main FOA contact address: info@frenchoutfitters.org
Current FOA members:
A. Jean-Pierre Bernon (Club Faune) [President and designated FOA Contact Representative at GSCO], jpbernon@club-faune.com .
B. Jerome Latrive (GP Voyages), jlatrive@gpvoyages.com
C. Alexandre Houlette (France Hunting Adventure), alex_houlette@yahoo.fr
D. Constant Boulard (Constant Boulard International Adventures), constant.boulard@gmail.com
E. Thierry Fecomme (JF Hunting), jfhunting@outlook.com.
Honorary Member is a membership category designed for qualified and reputable booking agents who will use the services of a full FOA member. Pioneers in the creation of FOA and current honorary members are:
A. Bo Morgan (Go with Bo) gowithbo@msn.com .
Other honorary members may be added or excluded based on the recommendations of the FOA and with the support of one or more full members of the FOA.
4. In order to register a Corsican mouflon caught on the French mainland, a GSCO hunter must not only provide a field photo of the trophy and a hunting report, as usual, but also a photo of the prey tag with the tag number. The tag number identifies the mining region. FOA agreed to review these tag numbers and notify GSCO whether this tag corresponds to an acceptable mining location for registration in the Corsican Mouflon category on the French mainland by GSCO. This review will only include free-range animals, as well as whether the hunter has submitted a $4,000 contribution to the FOA to become a member and sponsor of the FOA program for the conservation of the French mainland Mouflon. In addition to the contributions that FOA will charge its full members, these contributions will be used to fund the Conservation Program.
5. Mouflons obtained by outfitters who are not full members of the FOA, anywhere in France will have the right to be registered by GSCO as European mouflons. However, GSCO members cannot simultaneously register Corsican Moufflon from mainland France and European Moufflon from the affected region (regardless of the status of FOA outfitter).
6. Previous applications submitted to GSCO during the moratorium period (until April 5, 2022) may be submitted to GSCO again. These applications will be considered under the category "Corsican Mouflon from the French mainland" in each case by the GSCO Trophy Registration Committee. FOA has agreed to act as an expert on all applications for participation of the French mainland Corsican mouflon submitted to GSCO.
FRENCH MAINLAND CORSICAN MOUFLON
CONSERVATION PROGRAM
In addition to their own constituent, administrative and annual membership fees for membership in FOA, full members of FOA will contribute to the implementation of broader conservation practices of mouflon, which will be made possible through their collective efforts, as well as contributions from GSCO members (i.e. supporting members of FOA). FOA will create a corporate structure that will deal with the activities of FOA. FOA and its activities on the ground will be carried out and managed mainly by the French. GSCO will have no legal status or administrative responsibilities under FOA, but FOA will provide GSCO with reports on the status of the Corsican Mouflon conservation program on the French mainland, as well as the current status of membership and finances.
The region shown on the map of Corsican mouflons of the French mainland is significantly larger than the small territories of the initial resettlement, and therefore has the potential to positively improve the health and viability of mouflons in a much larger number (perhaps 100 or more stable locations) than previously assumed. This is done in recognition of the history of translocation in these regions, and at the same time there is a real opportunity to positively influence the attitude towards the French mouflon. A high cost means a great effort to preserve the population and a potential change in culture. At its annual convention, GSCO will also auction Corsican mouflon hunting opportunities on the French mainland to help promote this new model of hunting and conservation, so be careful.
FOA will be:
1. To create and promote a culture of hunting and nature conservation that is favorable for mouflon.
2. Engage in rotary mulching of pastures and forage lands favorable and visited by mouflon.
3. Create saltworks and therapeutic mineral supplements.
4. Protect mouflon from wolf predation in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment of France.
5. Conduct regular population counts and surveys to monitor the progress of the program.
6. Reintroduce the Corsican Mouflon from the areas of Cadarache with high fences to the free areas of the affected region to improve the gene pool of the Corsican mouflon.
RESULT
GSCO is not an organization with high operational overhead and is not inclined to take credit for itself or the results of the efforts of others. Thus, we want to pay tribute to the sincerity of our colleagues from the FOA involved in nature conservation and their willingness to be visionary pioneers who came to a unanimous agreement from the very beginning, and who so clearly sought to put CONSERVATION FIRST.
For its part, GSCO is a leading trophy accounting organization with a global reach and highly effective impact on conservation initiatives and practices, because hunting is the No. 1 tool in nature conservation. Look forward to new reports and interesting news about the Corsican Mouflon conservation program on the French mainland in future issues of Slam Quest, as well as about the unique potential of GSCO in promoting other similar positive initiatives, cooperation and results.
