Biodiversity Profile of Afghanistan - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

10 Afghanistan’s Wetlands
Afghanistan. is. an. arid. country. and. the. few.
wetlands. that. do. exist. are. therefore. of. great.
significance. to. biodiversity.. Wetlands. provide.
habitat.for.many.migrating.water.birds..They.are.
also.teeming.with.numerous.species.of.aquatic.
plants. and. invertebrates,. fish,. and. amphibians..
Artificial.lakes.are.generally.not.as.ecologically.
valuable.as.natural.lakes.because.of.fluctuating.
water.levels.and.because.natural.plant.and.animal.
assemblages. have. not. had. time. to. develop..
Nevertheless,.they.can.provide.important.habitat.
for.some.species..Table.7.lists.the.Afghan.wetlands.
that.are.known.or.suspected.to.be.important.for.
biodiversity..Examination.of.a.map.of.Afghanistan.
suggests.that.there.are.other.wetlands.that.could.
be.investigated.for.ecological.significance.
Table.7. List.of.Afghan.wetlands.known.or.expected.to.be.biologically.significant
Wetland Name Wetland Type Location Province Source
Hamun-i-Puzak Natural lake and
marsh
Hamun-i-Saburi Natural lake and
marsh
31° 29’ 44”N; 61° 42’ 55”E Nimroz Sayer and Van der Zon (1981),
Scott 1995
31° 31’ 24”N; 61° 17’ 23”E Farah K. Habibi (pers. com. 2006)
Arghandab Reservoir Artificial lake 31º 51’ 21” N, 65º 53’ 45’ E Kandahar Sayer and Van der Zon (1981)
Kajaki Reservoir Artificial lake 32º 19’ 59” N, 65º 11’ 07’ E Helmand Sayer and Van der Zon (1981)
Ab-i-Estada Natural saline lake 32º 28’ 53” N, 67º 54’ 36’ E Ghazni Sayer and Van der Zon (1981);
Scott 1995
Dashti-Nawar Seasonal saline lake 33° 38’ 00”N; 67° 43’’05”E Ghazni Sayer and Van der Zon (1981);
Scott 1995
Sardeh Reservoir Artificial lake 33° 29’ 37”N; 68° 28” 22’ E Ghazni Sayer and Van der Zon (1981)
Qargha Lake Artificial lake 34° 33’ 18”N; 69° 01” 59’ E Kabul Sayer and Van der Zon (1981)
Kol-i-Hashmat Khan Natural lake and reed
swamp
34° 29’ 29”N; 69° 12” 13’ E Kabul Sayer and Van der Zon (1981);
Scott 1995
Darunta Lake Artificial lake 34° 29’ 31”N; 70° 21” 34’ E Nagarhar Sayer and Van der Zon (1981);
Scott 1995
Sarobi Lake Artificial lake 34° 23’ 55”N; 69° 41” 33’ E Kapisa Sayer and Van der Zon (1981);
Scott 1995
Darqad Swamp woodlands
on Amu Darya
Imam Sahib Swamp woodlands
on Amu Darya
37° 26’ 39”N; 69° 32’E Takhar Sayer and Van der Zon (1981);
Scott 1995
37° 12’ 22”N ; 68° 44’ 46”E Kunduz Sayer and Van der Zon (1981);
Scott 1995
Band-i-Amir Six natural lakes 34° 52’ 40”N; 67° 16’ 51”E Bamiyan Sayer and Van der Zon (1981);
Scott 1995
Dagh-i-Tondi Intermittent lake Dagh-i-Tondi at
32º27’41”N; 60º 56’49”E
Farah K. Habibi (pers. comm.)
Kowl-i-Namaksar Salt lake 34º04’11”N; 60º 39’56”E Herat K. Habibi (pers. comm.)
Gawd-i-Zereh Seasonal lake 29º43’44”N; 61º 42’41”E Nimroz K. Habibi (pers. comm.)
Zor Kol High mountain lake 37º25’54”N; 73º 43’04”E Badakhshan Scott (1995)
Chaqmaqtin High Mountain lake 37º13’48”N; 74º 10’29”E Badakhshan Scott (1995)
Ay Khanum River, Marshy
reedbeds, small
ponds, and grassy
meadows
37º12’17”N; 69º 26’35”E Darqad Khan (2005)
Weghnon High mountain lake 36º01’45”N; 74º 00’45”E Takhar Khan (2005)
2 An Output of the National Capacity Needs Self-Assessment