Saving Afghanistan's Wildlife

New Scientist interviews Peter Zahler about his conservation and sustainability work in Afghanistan- I thought it was really interesting!

"Why are you doing conservation work in Afghanistan?

It's a fascinating place in terms of biodiversity. Afghanistan is a crossroads of northern and southern species as well as mountain specialists like snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep.

Aren't there more pressing issues to attend to in a war zone?

It's not just about snow leopards and other wildlife: 80 per cent of the Afghan population depends directly on natural resources for their survival. If you don't create a sustainable natural resource base they can't feed their families and no amount of road-building and school-building will result in a secure environment. We see conservation as a pillar of reconstruction.

You helped Afghanistan create its first national park this year. How is it going?

Overall things are going quite well and we're now looking to help establish three or four more. You don't hear much about good parts of Afghanistan but there are good parts and we are working in them and feel really optimistic.

What is the biggest threat to wildlife in Afghanistan?

One of the major threats is the wildlife trade, mainly furs. We have discovered the primary driver for this trade is actually the international community: people in the military or in construction who are making a pretty decent salary but don't have much to spend it on.

What are you doing to stop the fur trade?

We started on military bases explaining what the law is, both in Afghanistan and in the US. If you get caught with a snow leopard pelt in the US, you'd certainly get fined and probably go to jail. We teach them how to distinguish snow leopards from other pelts and show them other things they can buy, like carpets. People are reached in different ways: some are very influenced by the beauty of nature and others by the prospect that they could be fined, or go to jail, or both.

Is it working?

The anecdotal evidence is that it has been highly successful. Still, our best estimate is that there are not many more than 100 snow leopards left. The loss of just one individual therefore has an enormous effect on the population.

What is the prognosis for wildlife in the country?

I think it's good. Despite all of the security concerns we have found it a pleasure to work in Afghanistan because the people get it; they are farmers and herders and they know how important the plants are wildlife are.

How do you stay safe?

We probably have the most stringent security of any conservation programme anywhere. We always leave the office at different times and take different routes so we're not presenting ourselves as targets. Biologists often act like cowboys, running around in the wild chasing animals, but working in Afghanistan you can't do that."