War-torn Kabul becomes a protected site for migratory birds | Wildlife

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KABUL: A rare Afghan swamp that was once a royal hunting ground is to come under official protection by the United Nations Environment Agency, which aims to save hundreds of migratory bird species.

On the long, arid journey to the Caucasus and Siberia, across the Hindu Kush, the Kul Hashmat Khan wetlands outside Kabul provide shelter for the thousands of storks, egrets, pelicans and flamingos that migrate from southern India to the north each spring. go to

But after 40 years of conflict and neglect, their habitat is threatened by new houses, irrigation systems, increased garbage and global warming, gradually changing the local environment.

The Afghan government said on Sunday that the United Nations has now designated the wetlands a conservation area, as it also seeks to help secure the capital’s water supply.

“There are probably more than 300 or 400 species that pass through, although it’s hard to be sure without an exact count,” says Andrew Scanlon, head of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in Afghanistan.

They are migratory birds and “tourists” who stay for short periods of time in search of food.

In the morning, the marsh comes alive with the chirping of birds hungry for their morning snack.

Binoculars in hand, Scanlon stands atop a tower that dominates the landscape.

In the distance is the ancient fort of Bala Hisar which defended the city for centuries. Conversely, mud houses and fortified brick houses appear haphazardly, hastily built for refugees and displaced people during wars.

It was once a favorite hunting spot for members of the royal family, although Scanlon stressed that any activity was done “sustainably”.

But after a series of conflicts, including the invasion of the Soviet army in 1979 and the civil war of the early 1990s, Afghans worried about their survival and the environment suffered.

By 2005, the war had more or less abandoned the swamp, Scanlon points out.

“All are guilty”

Scanlon says land grabs were common in the chaotic 1990s as Afghans fought for survival. The swamp became a refuge, providing safe shelter and water.

As Afghanistan’s population has grown with the return of refugees since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, he says the situation has become a “tragedy of the people.”

This phrase refers to an economic theory in which individuals act in their own self-interest toward common resources but against the common good.

“Everybody is taking a piece to survive but all together it’s a tragedy, nobody’s fault but everybody’s to blame,” he says.

Taking advantage of the chaos, factions and party leaders built homes by the water. According to the United Nations, about 50 hectares of forest land, which was created in 2005 by the Afghan Environmental Protection Agency, is now trying to get it back.

“Some politicians are reluctant to act,” said Mohibullah Fazli, the agency’s biodiversity expert, but attitudes are changing.

The most important thing, he says, is to educate the locals.

He said that the problem is that people take their cattle to graze or cut reeds, local people also throw their garbage in the river, they do not know the scientific value of this area.

Along with the Qarghi Reservoir, Kol Hashmat Khan, a swamp about eight meters deep at its center, is one of Kabul’s two water sources. But experts are already worried about its falling water levels.

The NGO Afghanistan Youths Greens was mandated by UNEP to manage waste collection and educate villagers who will continue to live on the coast.

“Initially people did not accept us but eventually we managed to convince them,” says Muhammad Shafiq, director of the organization.

“I told them what the Holy Quran said,” adds Fazli. “Birds are a community just like you…they need shelter and they need food.”