Afghanistan Releases First Ever List of Protected Species
In an exciting effort to protect its natural heritage, the National Environment Protection Agency of Afghanistan has released the country’s first list of protected species, which includes 20 mammals, 7 birds, 4 plants, an amphibian and an insect.
The protections come at a crucial time for many of the species, since a previous Presidential Decree which outlawed hunting of endangered animals expired last March. Among the animals now protected from pelt-traders and poachers are snow leopards, wolves and brown bears.
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Although international law protects animals like the snow leopard from international hunting and trade, such practices were legal within Afghanistan for nationals until now. The news brings further cheer in an exciting year for Afghanistan’s environment. Just months ago, the country also established its first national park.
After more research has been conducted the current list may be expanded to include as many as 70 different species, the report said. That research wouldn’t have been possible without help from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which has been the only organization conducting ongoing scientific conservation studies in Afghanistan over the last 30 years. Furthermore, the list will be reevaluated on a 5-year basis to determine whether or not included species have made substantial recoveries.
It is crucial that these kinds of protections continue to be enforced on local levels worldwide, especially in war torn, tumultuous nations like Afghanistan, where wildlife and the environment can often become forgotten, collateral casualties. If you’d like to support groups like the Wildlife Conservation Society in their efforts, you can make a donation here.
Source: wcs.org
Image Credit: Itshears on Flickr under a Creative Commons License
Thank you for this article. I had been a supporter of World Wildlife Fund for many years. In this current economic downturn, it unfortunately has been one of the envelopes I have been sending on to paper recycling. Your article has encouraged me to place their canvassing letter back among the ones “on the top of the pile”. I hadn’t realized they were working in Afghanistan. I will go over to their site. It would seem impossible that they would actually have any people on the ground at this point. Will we ever reach a time when we find a way to stop wasting life with our foolishness. Work like this is adds to the hope that we will find a better way.
sm hudson,
Just thought I’d point out that it is the Wildlife Conservation Society, not the World Wildlife Fund, who was primarily responsible for making this happen in Afghanistan. Both of them are great organizations, however!
This is one of the more inspiring articles I’ve read today. With so much happening politically in Afghanistan, it’s amazing that efforts are being made to preserve the wildlife. With all the focus on war in that region, there needs to be more coverage of the positive steps being taken there.
http://tinyurl.com/lzm6al
Great article, Brian. Well done.
Oops, sorry! Spelled your name wrong, Bryan.
Good deal - now if Afghanistan can only cut out the Taliban, drug growing & smuggling and a few more critical items this may become something more than a rather silly press release.
Unless you expect people to have more respect for the critters than they have for each other.