(AF): New Rights for Afghan Wildlife

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http://www.wcs.org/new-and-noteworthy/new-rights-for-afghan-wildlife.aspx

<http://www.wcs.org/new-and-noteworthy/new-rights-for-afghan-wildlife.aspx>New

Rights for Afghan Wildlife

 

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June 3, 2009

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In an effort to safeguard its natural heritage, Afghanistan’s National

Environment Protection Agency (NEPA) has released the country’s first-ever

list of protected species now banned from hunting or harvest.

 

The wide-ranging list of endangered and threatened species includes such

well-known wildlife as snow leopards, wolves, and brown bears, as well as

the paghman salamander, goitered gazelle, and Himalayan elm tree. In total,

it protects 20 mammals, seven birds, four plants, and a single amphibian and

insect. The newly earned legal protection will help Afghanistan’s wildlife

and plants recover from the impacts of more than 30 years of conflict.

 

NEPA created the Afghanistan Wildlife Executive Committee (AWEC) to

facilitate the listing process. It joined with WCS—which received funding

from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—and the

Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, and Kabul University to

complete the task. AWEC and WCS began evaluating species to make status

determinations in July 2008, based on the most recent and accurate

information available for Afghanistan and the region. They also used

scientific criteria established by the global authority on species listing,

the IUCN Red List. By the end of 2009, the list may be expanded to as many

as 70 species.

 

“The Wildlife Conservation Society commends Afghanistan’s National

Environment Protection Agency for showing a continued commitment to

conserving its natural heritage—even during these challenging times,” said

Dr. Steven E. Sanderson, President and CEO of WCS. “WCS believes that

conservation can often serve as diplomacy, and we are optimistic that this

commitment to conservation will benefit all of Afghanistan’s people.”

 

Afghanistan’s snow leopards are under threat from excessive hunting, loss of

key habitat, and illegal trade. Snow leopard pelts for sale in tourist shops

can go for as much as $1,500 each. Though international trade in these big

cats is illegal because of their globally endangered status, only one week

ago, it would have been legal for any person to kill and trade a snow

leopard inside Afghanistan. The new law reverses that.

 

The protected species list also comes at a critical time for Afghanistan’s

wild species; the presidential decree banning hunting in the country expired

in March 2009. Last month, the country announced the creation of its first

national park: Band-e-Amir, a spectacular series of six deep blue lakes

separated by natural dams made of travertine, a mineral deposit.

 

WCS is currently the only organization conducting ongoing scientific

conservation studies in Afghanistan in the past 30 years, and is continuing

to work with the Afghan government to establish a network of parks and

protected areas.

 

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