COULD conserving rare species and habitats bring security and prosperity to the people of Afghanistan?
Rather than taking a back seat to the military campaign, plans for environmental action are gathering momentum there. On 28 June, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) joined forces with the Afghan government to initiate a three-year biodiversity project to protect five wilderness regions in the country.
Funded by the US Agency for International Development, the programme will focus on the Hindu Kush mountain range and other mountain habitats that support endangered animals, which include the snow leopard, the ibex and the Persian leopard.
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The idea is to encourage the 80 per cent of Afghans who depend on the country鈥檚 natural resources to play a greater role in protecting them. 鈥淐onservation is critical for recovery and stability in a country where so many people directly depend on local natural resources for their survival,鈥� says Peter Zahler of the WCS鈥檚 Asia programme.
