14 DAY TRIAL // Afghanistan has recently taken an interest in safeguarding biodiversity. Thus, the country has established its second national park, and it did not take long for green group the Wildlife Conservation Society to step forward and applaud the move.
On its website, the Wildlife Conservation Society details that Afghanistan's brand-new national park encompasses the entire Wakhan District and is about 25% bigger than the famous Yellowstone. Specifically, the park is said to cover over 4,200 square miles (about 10,878 kilometers).
The organization further explains that the region is home to several species that could use a helping hand surviving on the long run. Hence, the creation of this park is bound to yield noteworthy benefits in terms of protecting the world's remaining biodiversity.
According to the Society, some of the species that will benefit from Afghanistan's decision to turn the Wakhan District into its second national park are the snow leopard, the Marco Polo sheep, the lynx, and the Himalayan ibex.
Besides, the organization maintains, the fact that the Wakhan District is now a national park will greatly benefit people who reside in this remote region of Afghanistan, meaning that the creation of this protected area will make it easier for them to make a living.
As the Society puts it, “This new protected area will be co-managed by the Afghanistan Government and local communities, providing livelihoods related to the park and improved services to one of the poorest and most isolated regions on earth.”
The Wildlife Conservation Society details that, presently, about 13,000 Wakhi people and 1,500 ethnic Kyrgyz live in the valley that traverses Afghanistan's Wakhan District. These people rely on small-scale agriculture and also raise livestock to survive.
In case anyone was wondering, the decision to list this region as a national park was the result of a collaboration between Afghanistan's government and the people who currently inhabit the Wakhan District, the Society wishes to stress.
Commenting on this initiative, Cristián Samper, president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, made a case of how, “With all of the uncertainty facing Afghanistan, the news declaring Wakhan District as a national park is heartening.”
“This declaration by the Government of Afghanistan will help the people living in this extremely remote area by providing jobs connected to the park and will offer protection to endangered wildlife and key watersheds and landscapes. WCS welcomes this pivotal move by the Afghanistan Government, and we are committed to continuing helping the people and wildlife of the Wakhan,” Cristián Samper added.