Afghanistan, the Land of War and Trouble? Yes, but There Is Good News, Too!

Afghanistan has established its fifth protected national park, located in the Bamyan province, where such wildlife as the endangered Persian leopard can be found in the ecologically, socially and culturally important landscape.

The Bamyan Plateau Protected Area is the second largest at 4,200 square kilometers and is also significant for bird conservation, according to Ibrahim Abrar, project manager at the Wildlife Conservation Society, which joined government officials in announcing the establishment of the protected area.

“The healthy rangeland, presence of significant and rare wildlife and important sources of water are the main reasons we are working [with] the government to protect the area,” says Abrar, adding that the area also boasts animal species found nowhere else in the country.

The establishment of the Bamyan Plateau Protected Area may also provide benefits beyond wildlife to the nation and its local communities, say experts, because of an environmental law requiring communities to be involved in the planning of protected areas as well as to benefit from them.