Planning for protected area networks is often done on an ad hoc basis, especially in data poor countries. Afghanistan, a country in conflict for the past 30+ years, has little of the relevant data to plan a protected area network, and security concerns hinder collection of new data. To assist Afghanistan in planning for a protected area network (as required by its accession to the CBD), we conducted an analysis to identify ecologically important areas for conservation. We overlaid data from ecoregion, floral, and faunal analyses on a grid map of Afghanistan (313 cells each 2500 km2), and used a ranking system to identify those cells containing diverse and/or threatened ecosystems. Cells were scored from 1-10 according to the predicted value of biodiversity content, and a color gradation was applied to each cell progressing from white (score 1, least diverse) to black (score 10, most diverse) to produce a map visually depicting ecological diversity across Afghanistan. Those cells with the highest scores were labeled as Priority Zones – areas to be evaluated first as candidates for protected area designation.
Results/Conclusions
We produced a Priority Zone map of Afghanistan, which prioritized 155 out of 313 grid cells for conservation. Twenty-nine of these grid cells, located mostly in eastern and northeastern Afghanistan, scored 10 while 126 grid cells scored within the range of 6-9. These results indicate that many areas of potentially important conservation value remain. The final priority zone map was combined with security data to identify cells in which protected area activities could immediately commence. Sixteen grid cells were prioritized for first round rapid biodiversity surveys, which are expected to take place within the next two years. The Priority Zone analysis formed the basis of the National Protected Area System Plan of Afghanistan (NPASP), a document setting quantitative protected area targets and outlining a concrete plan of action for the designation of a protected area network. In the NPASP, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan agreed to set protected area goals at three different spatial levels: the national level, the biome level, and the ecoregion level. Afghanistan’s long-term objective is to have 10% of the country (ca. 65,000 km2) in protected areas by 2030. This case study demonstrates the potential for conservation planning in conflict-prone areas and may be useful for conducting similar work in other conflict and/or data deficient countries.