Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-8zxtt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-11T23:25:09.475Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Restoration of Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystems in Afghanistan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Amir S. Hassanyar
Amir S. Hassanyar
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Ecology, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Barren, desert-like environments have been created over large areas in Afghanistan, and various degrees of desertification can be seen especially in the southwestern plains. Extensive overgrazing, frequent drought, and unwise land-use, have initiated processes of local desertification also elsewhere in Afghanistan.

The first step in the restoration of depleted vegetation is to correct the improper uses that have been responsible for these conditions. Improper grazing practices of rangelands are a primary cause of reductions in the productivity of arid and semi-arid ecosystems in Afghanistan.

The second step in restoration is to prepare a detailed revegetation plan. The following maps and information are needed: (1) a vegetation-cover map, (2) a soil-series map, (3) a topographic map, and (4) baseline data on climatic conditions. The vegetationcover map identifies the plant biomass potential and the species that might be suitable for revegetation. The soil-series map is accompanied by a description of the physical and chemical features of the topsoil and subsoil along with an assessment of the general herbage production potential. The topographic map helps with species selection and planting methods. The climatic parameters assist in determining the season of planting and any need for drought-resistant species to be planted.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , Winter 1977 , pp. 297 - 301
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1977

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Breckle, S. W. (1971). Vegetation in alpine regions of Afghanistan. Pp. 106–16 in Plant Life of Southwest Asia (Ed. Davis, P. H., Harper, P. C. & Hedge, I. C.). University Press, Aberdeen, Scotland [not available for checking].Google Scholar
Cook, C. W. (1976). Surface-mine rehabilitation in the American West. Environmental Conservation, 3(3), pp. 179–83, 2 figs.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook, C. W., Hyde, R. M. & Sime, P. L. (1974). Revegetation guidelines for surface-mined areas. Colorado State University, Range Science Department, Sci. Series, No. 16, 73 pp.Google Scholar
Eckholm, Erik P. (1975 a). Desertification: A world problem. Ambio, 4, pp. 173–80.Google Scholar
Eckholm, Erik P. (1975 b). The deterioration of mountain environments. Science, 189, pp. 764–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Freitag, H. (1971). Studies in the natural vegetation of Afghanistan. Pp. 89–106 in Plant Life of Southwest Asia (Ed. Davis, P. H., Harper, P. C. & Hedge, I. C.). University Press, Aberdeen, Scotland: [not available for checking].Google Scholar
Hassanyar, Amir S. (1972). Environmental Problems of Afghanistan. A National Report to the U.N. Conference on the Human Environment. Stockholm, Sweden: 17 pp. (unpublished).Google Scholar
Hassanyar, Amir S. (1973 a). Afghanistan forests. Geogr. Rev. Afghan., 13, pp. 1–7.Google Scholar
Hassanyar, Amir S. (1973 b). Problems of the biosphere in Afghanistan. Geogr. Rev. Afghan., 13, pp. 83–8.Google Scholar
Hassanyar, Amir S. (1973 c). Major Life Zones of Afghanistan. Kabul University Press, Kabul, Afghanistan: 23 pp.Google Scholar
Hauser, G. F. (1953). Afghan alkali soil and its improvement. Soil Sci., 76, pp. 367–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitamura, Siro (1960). Flora of Afghanistan. ‘Nissha’, Kyoto, Japan: 486 pp.Google Scholar
Oedekoven, K. (1963). Forest history of the Near East. Unasylva, 17, pp. 13–21.Google Scholar
Polunin, Nicholas (1951). The real Arctic: suggestions for its delimitation, subdivision and characterization. Journ. Ecology, 39, pp. 308–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Polunin, Nicholas (1959). Circumpolar Arctic Flora. Clarendon Press, Oxford, England: xxviii + 514 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Polunin, Nicholas (1960). Introduction to Plant Geography and Some Related Sciences. Longmans, London, and Barnes & Noble, New York: xix + 640 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tate, G. P. (1909). Frontiers of Baluchistan. Witherby, London, England: [not available for checking].Google Scholar
Uhart, E. E. P. (1953). The charcoal problem in Asia. Unasylva, 7, pp. 13–4.Google Scholar
United Nations Environment Programme [cited as UNEP] (1976). Plan of Action to Combat Desertification. UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya: 32 pp.Google Scholar