Warzone Conversation in Afghanistan: Build a National Park, Build Democracy

Feb 12, 2019 | Kyla Peterson
View Original

When picturing Afghanistan, many people envision desolate landscapes ravaged by war, but the country contains “this incredible diversity of habitats, of forest, of mountains, of deserts, of places that look like the Grand Canyon,” according to Dehgan. Afghanistan was a biological Silk Road as much as it was a cultural Silk Road due to the “explosion of mountains,” which was a transfer point for biology, such as European brown bears, African hyenas, and Asiatic black bears and cheetahs, which are believed to be the rarest subspecies of cat in the world. When Dehgan saw paintings of animals of that region and pieces of skull embedded in the architecture of local houses, he realized how closely the Afghanis identified with their country’s remarkable biodiversity. This expression of ownership and pride became a crucial entry point for Dehgan and his team to connect with the local community and find common ground for conservation.