Afghanistan Issues Its 1st Wildlife Hunting Ban

Snow leopards, wolves, and brown bears are among the 20 mammals, seven birds, four plants and other creatures now on Afghanistan's first-ever list of protected species, banned from being hunted or harvested.

The newly earned legal protection will help Afghanistan’s wildlife and plants recover from the impacts of more than 30 years of conflict. The wide-ranging list also is aimed to protect the paghman salamander, goitered gazelle and Himalayan elm tree.

Afghanistan’s snow leopards are under threat from excessive hunting, loss of key habitat, and illegal trade. Snow leopard pelts for sale in tourist shops can go for as much as $1,500 each. Though international trade in these big cats is illegal because of their globally endangered status, last month, it would have been legal for any person to kill and trade a snow leopard inside Afghanistan. The new law reverses that.

The protected species list also comes at a critical time for Afghanistan’s wild species; a presidential decree banning hunting in the country expired in March. Last month, the country announced the creation of its first national park: Band-e-Amir, a series of six deep blue lakes separated by natural dams made of travertine, a mineral deposit.