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The political instability that will most likely take place following this war will not be new to Afghanistan, but will continue to pose a threat to environment. Whatever government is in place at the end of the war will be faced with trying to reconstruct a country that has been war-ravaged for decades. Infrastructure will have been effectively destroyed, including transportation, health care, education, water supplies, electricity, and food production, both in terms of farming and transport of goods. Government and nongovernment organizations for conservation and resource management will need to be entirely recreated, yet professionals trained in these skills may no longer exist within the country. With Afghanistan's physical, political, and economic systems in shambles and a major humanitarian disaster unfolding, environmental concerns will simply not be a top priority, either for the new government or for international donor agencies. Unfortunately, shunting environmental concerns to the side is shortsighted, for continued damage and destruction of the environment will lead to negative impacts on human life. The agrarian life-style of most people in Afghanistan means a dependency on environmental conditions. If these conditions continue to deteriorate, it will be impossible for any government, even with aid from major international donors, to reconstruct Afghanistan or stem the humanitarian crisis. There is also the very real danger of the conflict and its humanitarian and environmental consequences spreading to neighboring countries, including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Iran. This has already occurred in the border areas of all four countries, where refugee camps have decimated nearby resources. Continued environmental degradation means continued political instability.
MITIGATION
War is not a new experience, and there are many lessons to be learned from other parts of the world where civil and international conflicts have caused immeasurable destruction to fragile environments. Several projects have studied the impacts and possible steps for mitigating the long-term damage of war on biodiversity. During the current active conflict, little can be done to alleviate environmental impacts; certainly the influence of international agencies will be minimal. Nevertheless, collaboration between conservation organizations and refugee agencies and increased awareness of environmental considerations may ease the long-term negative impacts. When fighting subsides, there may be opportunities to rebuild the infrastructure to more effectively protect the environment. At a policy level, there will be a need for new laws and institutional reform. The key will be in building strong collaborative efforts between the conservation community and humanitarian support efforts, and the recognition on both sides of the relationship and linkage between the two concerns. Implementation of effective conservation programs after the current crisis subsides will rely on several key actions: ƒxConservation approaches will need clear linkages between sustainable livelihoods and the environment. ƒxInternational donors, relief organizations, and the incoming government must be aware of risks to natural resources and opportunities for conservation action during transition times and postwar reconstruction.
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There must be collaboration between relief organizations and conservation programs to ensure environmental concerns are factored into development efforts. ƒxThere must be international support for the formulation of postwar conservation policy and legislation. The fragile mountain ecosystems of Afghanistan and Central Asia have suffered long-term damage from decades of neglect and overuse. The conflict in Afghanistan is dramatically exacerbating this situation, and the damage will continue if environmental considerations are not taken into account as soon as possible. There is a clear link between environmental health, human health, and political stability.
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Writer Profile
aneel SALMAN
aneel SALMAN Lecturer, Dept of Economics Forman Christian University, Pakistan. Currently a Fulbright Scholar, pursuing PhD in Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Troy, NY USA 12180-3590 Email: aneelsalman@yahoo.com
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Comments
Request sources Zohra Sultan | Dec 31st, 2017
This is an excellent info about the effect of war on the environment. I did not find the sources I need work Citation.
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