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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Figure.4. Map.<strong>of</strong>.<strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s.Protected.Areas<br />
waters.<strong>and</strong>.a.narrow,.vertical-sided.travertine.dam.<br />
on.the.eastern.end..The.dam.on.B<strong>and</strong>-i-Panir.has.<br />
a. broad,. smooth. <strong>and</strong>. undulating. creamy-white.<br />
surface..B<strong>and</strong>-i-Pudina.is.very.small.but.surrounded.<br />
by.a.labyrinth.<strong>of</strong>.small,.interconnected.potholes.<br />
<strong>and</strong>. dense. vegetation.. B<strong>and</strong>-i-Zulfiqar. is. large,.<br />
deep. <strong>and</strong>. surrounded. by. steep. cliffs. virtually.<br />
devoid.<strong>of</strong>.vegetation..<br />
B<strong>and</strong>-i-Amir. was. declared. as. <strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s. first.<br />
<strong>and</strong>.only.National.Park.on.September.30,.1973,.<br />
in.response.to.a.petition.from.the.Afghan.Tourist.<br />
Organization..This.declaration.was.not.published.<br />
in.the.<strong>of</strong>ficial.government.Gazette.by.the.Ministry.<br />
<strong>of</strong>.Justice.<strong>and</strong>,.therefore,.has.no.legal.status.(Sayer.<br />
<strong>and</strong>. van. der. Zon. 1981,. IUCN. 1993).. The. World.<br />
Database.on.Protected.Areas.lists.B<strong>and</strong>-i-Amir.as.<br />
IUCN.Category.II,.but.indicates.that.there.is.currently.<br />
no. active. management.. The. boundaries. <strong>of</strong>. the.<br />
National.Park.were.defined.by.the.Afghan.Tourist.<br />
Organization.in.the.1970s.as.being.between.67°05’.<br />
to.67°20’E.<strong>and</strong>.34°45’.to.34°55’N..However,.these.<br />
boundaries.were.never.<strong>of</strong>ficially.gazetted..Shank.<br />
<strong>and</strong>.Rodenburg.(1977).proposed.boundaries.for.<br />
B<strong>and</strong>-i-Amir.National.Park.delineated.by.the.lakes’.<br />
headwaters,.<strong>and</strong>.these.boundaries.were.reflected.<br />
in.<strong>UNEP</strong>’s.(2003a).map.<strong>of</strong>.the.park..<br />
The. <strong>UNEP</strong>. Post-Conflict. Assessment. Team. visited.<br />
the. area. in. 2002. <strong>and</strong>. found. the. B<strong>and</strong>-i-Amir.<br />
lakes.largely.unchanged.ecologically.from.their.<br />
condition. prior. to. the. period. <strong>of</strong>. conflict,. which.<br />
began.in.1978.(<strong>UNEP</strong>.2003a)..The.lakes.were.full.<strong>of</strong>.<br />
water,.despite.the.worst.drought.in.living.memory..<br />
Although.no.water.quality.testing.was.done,.the.<br />
water.remains.crystal.clear.<strong>and</strong>.strikingly.blue..The.<br />
travertine.dams.appeared.to.be.intact.<strong>and</strong>.the.<br />
vegetation.was.little.changed.<br />
<strong>UNEP</strong>.(2003a).found.that.a.number.<strong>of</strong>.threats.exist,.<br />
however..Vehicles.are.not.remaining.on.marked.<br />
roads.causing.erosion..Garbage.is.being.dumped.<br />
into.the.lakes..Fishing.with.electricity.<strong>and</strong>.explosive.<br />
devices. was. reported. as. common.. Populations.<br />
3 An Output <strong>of</strong> the National Capacity Needs Self-Assessment
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