Mapping out a Trail toward Peace—and Parks—in Afghanistan

Snow Leopard ©WCS/J.Maher

Snow leopards, Persian leopards, gazelles, ibex, and the world’s largest wild sheep are among the recipients of some rare good news in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan. The Wildlife Conservation Society has teamed up with the Afghan government to help protect the country’s unique wildlife and develop its first official system of protected areas. The conservation efforts, which are funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), focus on the Hindu Kush mountain range and the Pamir Knot.

“This is an important and exciting moment for Afghanistan, which contains some of the most beautiful wild lands in Asia,” said Peter Zahler, an assistant director for the WCS Asia Program and a researcher in the region for more than ten years. “Conservation is critical for recovery and stability in a country where so many people directly depend on local natural resources for their survival. Conservation can also inspire local communities and even neighboring countries to work together to protect the region’s natural heritage.”

Over the next three years, WCS conservationists will work with local people to survey wildlife, set up monitoring programs, and conduct studies on disease threats. They will also conduct training workshops and classes to help communities find ways to sustainably manage their natural resource base.

WCS’s involvement in the region dates back to the 1970s, when Dr. George Schaller, vice president of Science and Exploration and a world-renowned field biologist, studied the snow leopard and Marco Polo sheep. In recent years, Dr. Schaller has continued his wildlife surveys in the high Pamirs of China, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. As a result of this work, the leaders of the current biodiversity project hope to develop a four-country transboundary peace park in the Pamirs. Bringing together the governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and China would be a feat not just for wildlife conservation, but for human history, too.

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