On top of all the human casualty and destruction that has resulted from the war in Afghanistan, there have been atrocious, but rarely reported, environmental harms.   Many animals such as snow leopards, gazelles, bears, and wild sheep are suffering from habitat loss from bombings, as well as human invasion as refugees and combatants move further into the mountains.  Moreover, conventional explosives that cover the landscape threaten wildlife as they contain many poisonous compounds such as cyclonite carcinogens and perchlorates.  One outcome of this toxicity is the rapid decline in bird migration by 85%, since many bird species are aware of danger in the air and will not fly if they feel threatened.

Snow leopards have particularly suffered as a result of the conflict.  In addition to habitat loss, the war has also exacerbated illegal poaching; since many people suffer economically from the war they are forced to seek out any source of income to survive and provide for their families.   Snow leopard pelts as well as live animals are highly sought-after for clothing and private animal collections, resulting in payment for snow leopards up to millions of dollars.  Snow leopards are already threatened by habitat degradation from overgrazing as herders push further into the mountains.  Snow leopards prey on wild sheep and goats, which are declining as a result of  domestic livestock overgrazing the grasslands and leaving less available food.  This in turn exacerbates human conflict with snow leopards because snow leopards prey more on domestic animals and herders often shoot snow leopards that prey on their herds.  Finally, there is a significant lack of resources available to implement conservation programs, and with all the political instability and poverty in the region, environmental protection is not a high priority for local governments. Currently it is estimated that there are less than 100 surviving snow leopards in Afghanistan.

In addition to threats to native species such as snow leopards, deforestation is occurring at alarming rates, as people must sell timber to make money for survival.  Additionally, refugees are clearing land for short-term farming. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, these unsustainable farming practices will eventually leave Afghanistan completely barren.   Forests now cover less than 2% of the country, which was once heavily forested.  This article is not meant to minimize the deaths and destruction that have affected humans in the war; instead its purpose is to suggest that wars and other conflicts can have hidden but significant effects on the environment that are too often overlooked.  To find out more information on these issues and what you can do to help, visit:

http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/environment/ and www.snowleopard.org.

Sources:

http://www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/~puppydog/afwar-21.txt http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/environment/ http://www.snowleopard.org/catfactsclassroom/catfacts/threats http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1972402,00.html