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Afghanistan’s environment is under serious threat from climate change and competition over resources.
Arable land is limited. Nearly half the country is being used for herding, and more than one-third is made up of mountains. This leaves just 12% available for farming in a country where 70% of people live on the land.
Between 1978 and 2002 alone, coniferous forest cover in the east, which is where most of the trees are, dropped by 50 percent. As of today, only 3% of Afghanistan enjoys forest cover.
Climate change has brought clearly observable changes in rainfall and temperature, resulting in prolonged and more frequent droughts and floods.
Biodiversity appears to be declining at an accelerating rate. Overgrazing and shrub collection for fuel is eradicating plant biomass and disrupting the ecosystem.
The 2015 UN World Water Development Report ranks Afghanistan as one of the countries with the lowest ability to conserve water resources, due to lack of green cover, reservoirs and capacity in environmental management.
In response to these challenges, a National Environmental Law was passed in 2007 that aims to improve quality of life through conservation, protection and improvement of the country’s environment. There are also strategies and action plans for climate change and biodiversity.
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