NPR: Snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep have not been on the agenda for peace talks involving the Taliban, U.S. officials and Afghan opposition figures. But going forward, should they be? “If you’re not managing the natural resources well in Afghanistan, you are undermining the very national security and human security of the people,” says
Japan Times: If a public entity wants to promote itself in Japan, one of the most effective ways may be to create a yuru-kyara — a lovable mascot that catches people’s hearts. And that’s exactly what the Afghanistan Embassy in Tokyo is doing. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 21, 2016 The wildlife-trade monitoring network TRAFFIC warns that hundreds of endangered snow leopards are being killed illegally each year across the high mountain ranges of Asia. Some 4,000 of these elusive big cats are estimated to be living in the wild across 12 countries that sweep around the Himalayan
News.com.au: “Picturesque” and “Afghanistan” are probably not two words you’d use together. However, in a stunning and remote corner of the country, a unique conservation effort has helped bring the elusive snow leopard back from the brink of extinction, giving hope to one of the poorest and most isolated communities on Earth. Click here to read more
Counter Punch: No question the mounting Afghan death toll and the bombing of hospitals and civilian infrastructure ought to infuriate the few remaining antiwar activists out there; but the toll the Afghanistan war is having on the environment should also force nature lovers into the streets in protest. Natural habitat in Afghanistan has endured decades of struggle, and the War on