Afghanistan plans protected wildlife areas

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 28 (UPI) -- The government of Afghanistan and the Wildlife Conservation Society have started a project to protect that nation's unique wildlife.

The project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, will include creation of Afghanistan's first official system of protected wildlife areas.

"This is an important and exciting moment for Afghanistan, which contains some of the most beautiful wild lands in Asia," said Peter Zahler, assistant director for WCS' Asia Program. "Conservation is critical for recovery and stability in a country where so many people directly depend on local natural resources for their survival."

Afghanistan's natural landscape is dominated by the Hindu Kush mountain range and the Pamir Knot, a region where the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Tien Shan and Himalayan ranges meet to form some of the greatest mountains in the world.

The mountains' alpine ecosystems support a wide range of large mammals, including Marco Polo sheep -- the world's largest sheep which were described by Polo in his late 13th century writings. Other mammals in Afghanistan include the ibex, the Persian leopard, gazelles and the elusive snow leopard.