Afghanistan's Forests Vanishing as a Result of War, Illegal Logging
8/29/99
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Title: Afghanistan's Forests Vanishing as a Result of War, Illegal
Logging
Source: Text of report by Iranian radio via BBC Monitoring
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: August 29, 1999
Byline: Mashhad
Local sources who visited various areas of Afghanistan have warned
about the destruction of forests in the last few years in different
regions of the country. These sources said on Sunday {29th August}
that drought, intensification of industrial enterprises of Pakistan
and the theft of natural wealth, the continuing clashes between
different factions in the country and utilization of wood instead of
oil and gas are some of the factors behind the destruction of
pastures and woodland in Afghanistan.
According to well-informed sources, 2.5 per cent of the total
territory of Afghanistan, that is to say 2m ha of land, is under
forest. In the last two decades, for various reasons, forests have
been vanishing. An Afghan refugee, (?Yusuf Nuristani), who visited
the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, has said that previously there
were very important forest areas in Konar, Paktia, Paktika and
Nuristan Provinces and that today there is a company producing wood.
The company is illegally transporting large amounts of wood to
Pakistan from these areas every day.