Biodiversity Profile of Afghanistan: An Output of the National Capacity Needs Self-Assessment for Global Environment Management (NCSA) for Afghanistan

This document summarizes what was known in 2008 about Afghanistan’s biodiversity as an output of the National Capacity Needs Self-Assessment for Global Environment Management project implemented by UNEP. It outlines biogeographical provinces and eco-regions, describes ecosystems and pressures such as overgrazing, fuel collection, illegal harvesting, and war-related impacts, and reports losses of closed forests and open woodlands using vegetation mapping and satellite analyses. It compiles species lists for several animal groups, notes large data gaps and limited recent fieldwork, and identifies biodiversity-rich areas and proposed protected sites. It ends with priority actions on protected areas, surveys, Red-Listing, and biodiversity planning.