Biodiversity Profile of Afghanistan - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP
Biodiversity Profile of Afghanistan - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP
Biodiversity Profile of Afghanistan - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP
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© WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETy<br />
11 <strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s Riparian<br />
Areas<br />
Tugai.is.a.special.type.<strong>of</strong>.riparian.forest.found.in.the.<br />
floodplains.<strong>and</strong>.valleys.<strong>of</strong>.Central.Asian.deserts..It.is.<br />
characterized.by.poplar.<strong>and</strong>.willow.trees.<strong>and</strong>.shrubs.<br />
<strong>of</strong>.various.genera.such.as.tamarisk.(Tamarix), oleaster<br />
(Elaeagnus), <strong>and</strong>.sea.buckthorn (Hippophae),.along.<br />
with. a. patchwork. <strong>of</strong>. tall. reedgrass. (Phragmites<br />
australis).<strong>and</strong>.grassl<strong>and</strong>.clearings..Tugai.ecosystems.<br />
are.critical.to.many.species.<strong>and</strong>.are.increasingly.<br />
threatened.by.conversion.to.agriculture.along.the.<br />
Amu. Darya. (Ahmad. Khan,. pers.. comm.,. 2006)..<br />
There. is. little. information. about. the. original. <strong>and</strong>.<br />
current.extent.<strong>of</strong>.tugai.forest.in.<strong>Afghanistan</strong>..<br />
The Argali or Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon poli) inhabits the<br />
mountain areas <strong>of</strong> central Asia above 1,000m. The Argali is a<br />
vulnerable species (IUCN 2000) threatened by hunters for their highly<br />
prized horns <strong>and</strong> habitat loss from the grazing <strong>of</strong> domestic sheep<br />
for Global Environment Management (NCSA) for <strong>Afghanistan</strong><br />
12 <strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s Species<br />
<strong>Afghanistan</strong>.is.not.a.global.biodiversity.“hotspot”..<br />
Groombridge. <strong>and</strong>. Jenkins. (1994). calculated. a.<br />
comparative.index.<strong>of</strong>.biodiversity.for.all.countries.<br />
over.5,000.km².based.on.the.number.<strong>of</strong>.mammals,.<br />
birds,. reptiles,. amphibians,. vascular. plants. <strong>and</strong>.<br />
endemic.species..The.index.is.scaled,.to.account.<br />
for. the. different. sizes. <strong>of</strong>. countries.. A. score. <strong>of</strong>. 0.<br />
is. the. median. with. half. the. countries. having. a.<br />
higher. biodiversity. index. <strong>and</strong>. half. a. lower. one..<br />
<strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s. index. is. -0.296. indicating. that. its.<br />
biodiversity. index. is. somewhat. lower. than. the.<br />
median..Indices.<strong>of</strong>.neighbouring.Pakistan.(-0.121).<br />
<strong>and</strong>. Iran. (-0.194). are. somewhat. higher,. but. still.<br />
below. the. median.. Indices. for. Turkmenistan.<br />
(-0.572),. Tajikistan. (-0.536),. Uzbekistan. (-0.413),.<br />
<strong>and</strong>. Kazakhstan. (-0.581). are. all. lower. than.<br />
<strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s.. Globally,. the. countries. with. the.<br />
highest.scores.are.Indonesia.(+1.844).<strong>and</strong>.Mexico.<br />
(+1.621).. The. areas. with. the. lowest. scores. are.<br />
Antarctica.(-3.261).<strong>and</strong>.Greenl<strong>and</strong>.(-2.821)..Much.<br />
<strong>of</strong>.<strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s.relatively.low.score.results.from.the.<br />
lack.<strong>of</strong>.endemics..<br />
A.number.<strong>of</strong>.factors.influence.species.richness.<strong>and</strong>.<br />
number.<strong>of</strong>.endemic.species.in.<strong>Afghanistan</strong>:<br />
.1.. More.species.are.found.at.the.equator.<strong>and</strong>.the.<br />
number.tends.to.decrease.towards.the.poles..<br />
<strong>Afghanistan</strong>.lies.at.mid-latitudes.(i.e..30º.–.38º.<br />
North).<strong>and</strong>.is.therefore.predisposed.to.having.<br />
a.biota.not.as.rich.as.tropical.countries.or.as.<br />
poor.as.more.northerly.ones.<br />
2.. <strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s. mountains. result. in. numerous.<br />
habitat.types..Temperature.<strong>and</strong>.precipitation.<br />
change.dramatically.with.elevation.differences,.<br />
resulting.in.a.variety.<strong>of</strong>.habitats.<strong>and</strong>.differing.<br />
suites.<strong>of</strong>.species.adapted.to.them.<br />
3.. <strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s.mountains.also.act.as.a.barrier.<br />
to.precipitation,.resulting.in.higher.moisture.in.<br />
the.eastern.part.<strong>of</strong>.the.country,.considerable.<br />
snow.at.higher.elevations,.<strong>and</strong>.a.rain.shadow.<br />
to.the.north.<strong>and</strong>.west..The.result.is.a.variety.<br />
<strong>of</strong>. species. adapted. to. the. entire. gamut. <strong>of</strong>.<br />
moisture. regimes,. ranging. from. desert. to.<br />
monsoon.forest.<br />
4.. <strong>Afghanistan</strong>.is.on.the.boundary.<strong>of</strong>.Palaearctic.<br />
2
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