Band-e Amir (photo by Daud Saba)

With this news on Earth Day 2009, for me and other friends of environment in Afghanistan, a wish has come true. In August 2004 issue, I wrote: “In 1973, the Afghan government named Band-e Amir as the first national park. Because it was not ratified into law, Band-e Amir does not have legal status to be officially protected. In the past three decades of war, governmental protection of Band-e Amir National Park has been less than a priority.”

I am more than satisfied that the hard work of many friends of environment in Afghanistan, with generous support from the international community has finally paid off. From now on, this piece of pristine wilderness in Central Afghanistan has a legal status to be protected. Thus, ways to practically protect the fauna and flora of the Band-e Amir National Park becomes a new mandate for the friends or environment in Afghanistan.

We can’t leave the whole task to the government. We have to help the community understand the value of their natural heritage, so they could be brought on board to find a solution for immediate problems that Band-e Amir faces today. The issues are: unregulated grazing and uprooting of shrubs that degrades the delicate vegetation cover, fishing by electrification or dynamite explosion methods, serious soil erosion around the dams, unsustainable reeds harvesting that degrades waterfowl habitats in the valley, and finally motor boating. The natural setting is littered by trash and human waste. This is damaging the pristine environment and serenity of the park.

As we expect that the number of visitors to Bamiyan and Band-e Amir increase, each of the above mentioned problems needs urgent due attention. Only by the community involvement through sound natural resources management, Band-e Amir National Park could serve its purpose. The National Environmental Protection Agency of Afghanistan (NEPA) must immediately introduce pragmatic guidelines for the use of this natural heritage site.

All friends of environment should see it as their duty to raise awareness for the preservation of the park’s beauty. Keeping the park well preserved will allow the local people a better quality of life not just from a safer environment, but also through the business of tourism, which should eventually become a lifeline to this struggling community.

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