Factors Affecting Degradation of Natural Rangelands in Bamyan Center: A Community-Based Investigation

Ghulam Hazrat Ghulami

doi:10.62810/jnsr.v2iSpecial.Issue.142

Authors

Ghulam Hazrat Ghulami Bamyan University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62810/jnsr.v2iSpecial.Issue.142

Keywords:

Agrosilvopastoral system, Community-based management, Prioritization, Planning; Bamyan province

Abstract

Sustainable rangeland management requires the active participation of all stakeholders to develop comprehensive management strategies. However, the role of these players in sustainable natural resource management is poorly understood. This study aims to (i) investigate the factors contributing to the degradation of natural rangelands based on community knowledge perception and (ii) document valuable information to identify urgent needs for effective administration and strategic planning. The study conducted interviews with 150 beneficiaries, the majority of whom lived in long-term agrosilvopastoral systems. The target groups for this study were local farmers and experts’ groups, with 110 farmers and 40 governmental and non-governmental experts interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that the most significant priorities for anthropogenic degradation factors include converting natural rangeland to agricultural land, collecting and uprooting plants for fire fuel, animal feed, and medicine; farmers' financial poverty; lack of design and adjustment of grazing systems, lack of information about the importance of rangeland, shortage of technical personnel, lack of clarity in rangeland ownership, and overuse of plant cover. Additionally, drought years, deficient snowfall, and floods were identified as contributors to rangeland degradation. This study emphasizes the urgent need for specific data and community-based rangeland management through cooperation between Indigenous communities and improvements in their traditional institutions, which are vital for responsible rangeland management and the well-being of the people dependent on these resources. Also, it helps the policymakers to consider this prioritization for solving this problem.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Aziz, A., & Shaoliang, Y. (2013). Highland rangelands of Afghanistan: Significance, management issues, and strategies (pp. 16–26).

Bedunah, D. J., Shank, C., & Alavi, M. A. (2010). Rangelands of Band-e-Amir National Park and Ajar Provisional Wildlife Reserve, Afghanistan. Rangelands, 32(41–52). DOI: https://doi.org/10.2111/RANGELANDS-D-10-00044.1

Behnke, R., Davidson, G., Jabbar, A., & Coughenour, M. (2006). Human and natural factors that influence livestock distributions and rangeland desertification in Turkmenistan. In R. Behnke (Ed.), The socio-economic causes and consequences of desertification in Central Asia (pp. 141–168). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8544-4_7

Bourrouilh-Le Jan, F. G., Akram, B., & Schvoerer, M. (2007). Band-e-Amir Lakes and Dragon Valley (Bamiyan): Myths and seismicity in Afghanistan. In L. Piccard & W. B. Masse (Eds.), Myth and geology (Special Publication 273, pp. 121–132). Geological Society. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2007.273.01.11

Breckle, S. W. (2007). Flora and vegetation of Afghanistan. Basic and Applied Dryland Research, 2, 155–194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1127/badr/1/2007/155

Breckle, S. W. (1983). Temperate deserts and semi-deserts of Afghanistan and Iran. In N. E. West (Ed.), Temperate deserts and semi-deserts. Ecosystems of the world (Vol. 5, pp. 271–319). Elsevier.

Breckle, S. W., & Wucherer, W. (2006). Vegetation of the Pamir (Tajikistan): Land use and desertification problems. In E. M. Spehn, M. Liberman, & C. Körner (Eds.), Land use change and mountain biodiversity (pp. 227–239). CRC Taylor & Francis. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420002874.ch16

Clark, K. (2015). Protecting beauty: Shah Foladi—a new conservation area for Afghanistan. Afghanistan Analysts Network. https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/protecting-beauty-a-new-conservation-area-for-afghanistan/?format=pdf

Cook, D. E. (2011). Bamiyan Province climatology and temperature extremes in Afghanistan. Retrieved from http://www.dta.mil.nz/wp-content/uploads/Bamiyan-province-climatology-and-temperature-extremes-in-Afg1.pdf

CSO/UNFPA. (2006). Bamyan provincial profile. Central Statistics Office and United Nations Population Fund.

Ggeitury, M. N., Ansari, A., Sanadgool, & Heshmati, M. (2007). The effective factors of destruction in Kermanshah rangelands. Iranian Journal of Range and Desert Research, 13(4).

Ghoryar, M. A., & Roggero, P. P. (2019). Assessment of rangeland issues, challenges, and options in the western region of Afghanistan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-7137.2019.00004.1

Hoeck, T., Droux, R., Breu, T., Hurni, H., & Maselli, D. (2007). Rural energy consumption and land degradation in a post-Soviet setting: An example from the west Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan. Energy for Sustainable Development, 11(1), 48–57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0973-0826(08)60563-3

Holdschlag, A., Nüsser, M., & Rahman, F. (2012). Herding on high grounds: Diversity and typology of pastoral systems in the Eastern Hindukush (Chitral, Northwest Pakistan). In H. Kreutzmann (Ed.), Pastoral practices in high Asia (pp. 31–52). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3846-1_2

MAIL. (2008). Band-i-Amir Provisional National Park: A preliminary management plan. Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock.

Moghaddam, E. R., Joloro, H., & Memarian, H. (2016). Determining range suitability using fuzzy and hierarchical methods: A case study of Bagheran Birjand Watershed, South Khorasan Province, Iran. Journal of Rangeland Science, 7(3), 232–241.

Mohibbi, A. A., Bagan, H., Inatomi, M., & Kinoshita, T. (2018). Land cover change in Bamyan, Afghanistan from 1990 to 2015—Land degradation and lack of land management. Japanese Journal of Farm Work Research, 53(1), 15–32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4035/jsfwr.53.15

Mohibbi, A. A., & Cochard, R. (2014). Residents’ resource uses and nature conservation in Band-e-Amir National Park, Afghanistan.

NEPA & MAIL. (2014). Justification for proposed: Shah Foladi Mountain Landscape Conservation Area. Kabul, Afghanistan.

Ostrowski, S., Rajabi, A. M., & Noori, H. (2007). A field mission of the ecosystem health component in Band-e-Amir. Wildlife Conservation Society.

Pittroff, W. (2011). Rangeland management and conservation in Afghanistan. International Journal of Environmental Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2011.584474 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2011.584474

Robinett, D., Miller, D., & Bedunah, D. (2008). Central Afghanistan rangelands: A history of tribal rule, grazing, war, and rangelands. Rangelands, 30(4), 2–12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2111/1551-501X(2008)30[2:CAR]2.0.CO;2

Robinson, S. (2012). Carrying capacity of pasture and fodder resources in the Tajik Pamirs. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Shank, C. C., & Larsson, J. Y. (1977). National parks and utilization of wildlife resources in Afghanistan: A strategy for the establishment and development of Band-e-Amir National Park. United Nations Development Program and Food and Agriculture Organization.

Thieme, O., & Suttie, J. M. (2006). Country pasture/forage resource profile: Afghanistan. Food and Agriculture Organization.

UNEP. (2008). Afghanistan’s environment. Retrieved from https://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/UNEP_in_Afghanistan.pdf

UNEP. (2009). UNEP in Afghanistan: Laying the foundations for sustainable development. United Nations Environment Programme.