Afghanistan has long been a land of marginal
environment-too dry and too cold for much life. Thousands of years of
environmental stress by the country's people have dramatically altered the
landscape and caused extensive environmental destruction. Because the
Afghan people lack the financial means to purchase fuel, they must cut
trees, uproot shrubs, and collect dung for burning. Domestic animals
overgraze the range. The result is extensive soil erosion by water and
wind. Long-term irrigation without flushing has added salt to much of the
arable land and destroyed its fertility. Polluted water supplies are
common, except in the high mountain regions where few people live
permanently. Ancient writings and archaeological evidence show that once
rich areas of forest and grassland have been reduced to stretches of
barren rock and sand. The government of Afghanistan began to recognize
environmental problems in the 1970s with the help of the United Nations
and other international agencies. The pressures of the war, however, have
diverted attention from these issues and further aggravated the country's
environmental state.
