The list of endangered animals keeps growing as illegal hunting flourishes.
Investigations by Killid have revealed the value of imports of hunting equipment increased to 80 million Afs (1.2 million USD) last year. The imports are from Turkey, Russia, Italy and other countries. The Afghan National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) has outlawed both the selling and buying of weapons for hunting purposes.
On the endangered list are some 140 species of wildlife including Marco Polo sheep, the national animal of Afghanistan, and the largest wild sheep.
NEPA has brought to the attention of the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) and the National Directorate of Security the rampant hunting and illegal cutting of forests that is shrinking wildlife habitats. Both MoI and the directorate of security have executive power to take action to protect wildlife.
Under presidential decree 53, issued by Hamid Karzai, hunting of birds and animals was banned for five years. The decree was extended for another five years in 2010. This ordinance has not been changed into a law to prohibit hunting.
Mohammad Eqbal Hamdard who heads the public awareness section in NEPA thinks the biggest threat to wildlife is from the easy availability of weapons in the market. He says NEPA has made many efforts to “collect the guns from the market” in Kabul. “There are many species that are in urgent need of serious protection,” he says. Apart from Marco Polo sheep, the snow leopard, sparrow hawk, and Markhor, which is popularly called the snake eater goat (the national animal of Pakistan) and birds in Bamyan, Badakhshan and the Pamir mountains are all on the list of species that could vanish unless given immediate protection. “There is also a market in smuggling animals out of the country,” says Hamdard.
“We have launched public awareness programmes on the importance of wild animals and bird species through the help of the ministries of education and religious affairs, and media. The focus is on the socio-economic and environmental importance for humans of birds and animals,” he says.
NEPA is working with communities to reduce conflict between people and animals. Recently a leopard that was captured by locals was returned to the wild in Farah province.