Wakhan National Park

Wakhan National Park
Snow leopard in the Wakhan District
Map showing the location of Wakhan National Park
Map showing the location of Wakhan National Park
Wakhan National Park
LocationWakhan District, Afghanistan
Coordinates36°48′N 72°18′E / 36.8°N 72.3°E / 36.8; 72.3
Area10,910.12 km2 (4,212.42 sq mi)
Established30 March 2014

Wakhan National Park is a national park in northeastern Afghanistan. Established in 2014, the park encompasses the entire Wakhan District of Badakhshan Province, extending along the Wakhan Corridor between the Pamir Mountains and the Hindu Kush, bordering the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region of Tajikistan to the north, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan to the south, and the Xinjiang autonomous region of China to the east.

Flora and fauna in the Wakhan National Park include some 600 plant species, the snow leopard, lynx, wolf, brown bear, stone marten, red fox, Pallas's cat, ibex, Marco Polo sheep, and urial.[2][3] Remote and largely above the tree line, poaching and overgrazing, rather than mining and logging, currently pose the main threats. Around 15,000 Afghans of ethnic Wakhi and Kyrgyz background reside in the area.[4][5][6][7] Foreigners must have an Afghan visa to tour the area.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wakhan National Park Protected Planet
  2. ^ "Barns to protect Wakhan livestock from leopards". Pajhwok Afghan News. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  3. ^ "Badakhshan sees tourist numbers spike". Ariana News. September 1, 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  4. ^ "WCS Applauds Afghanistan's Declaration Establishing Entire Wakhan District as the Country's Second National Park". International Union for Conservation of Nature. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 2022-10-01 – via Newswise.
  5. ^ Howard, Brian Clark (6 April 2014). "Getting to Know Afghanistan's Huge New National Park". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  6. ^ "Badakhshan: Wakhan". Wildlife Conservation Society. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  7. ^ "National Natural Resource Management Strategy (2017-2021)" (PDF). Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
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