capacity building for biodiversity conservation in...

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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

IN

AFGHANISTAN

Kabul,Afghanistan

December2009

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BY:

Kara Stevens

WildlifeConservationSociety

TrainingandCapacityBuildingManager

[email protected]

&

Mohammad Aref Rahimy

WildlifeConservationSociety

TrainingandCapacityBuildingOfficer

[email protected]

CoverPhoto:JohnWinnie

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..........................................................................................................................i Acronyms..................................................................................................................................................i Figures .................................................................................................................................................... vi Tables...................................................................................................................................................... vi Appendices..........................................................................................................................................viii 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 2 CAPACITY IN AFGHANISTAN...................................................................................................... 1 2.1 National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA).................................................................2 2.2 Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) .......................................................2 2.3 Academia .................................................................................................................................................2 2.4 NonGovernment Organizations......................................................................................................3

3 EVALUATION METHODS.............................................................................................................. 3 3.1 Interview..................................................................................................................................................3 3.2 Tests ..........................................................................................................................................................3 3.3 Observation ............................................................................................................................................4 3.4 Training Agreement.............................................................................................................................4

4 INVESTMENT................................................................................................................................... 5 5 PROPOSED PROTECTED AREAS................................................................................................ 5 5.1 BandiAmir ............................................................................................................................................5 5.2 Ajar Valley ...............................................................................................................................................6 5.3 Afghan Pamir..........................................................................................................................................6 5.4 Nuristan....................................................................................................................................................6

6 PROGRAM OUTCOMES ................................................................................................................. 7 6.1 Wildlife & Rangeland Assessments.................................................................................................7 6.1.1 Bamyan..................................................................................................................................................................8 6.1.2 Nuristan ................................................................................................................................................................9 6.1.3 Badakshan.........................................................................................................................................................10

6.2 Protected Area Management ......................................................................................................... 13 6.3 Livestock and Wildlife Health........................................................................................................ 15 6.3.1 Paravet Training.............................................................................................................................................15 6.3.2 Avian Influenza ...............................................................................................................................................16

6.4 Wildlife Trade ..................................................................................................................................... 17 6.5 Community Conservation................................................................................................................ 18 6.5.1 Primary and Secondary School Education..........................................................................................18 6.5.2 Community Outreach & Awareness.......................................................................................................19 6.5.3 Ecotourism........................................................................................................................................................24

6.6 Policy & Governance ......................................................................................................................... 29 6.6.1 Band‐i‐Amir Protected Area Committee (BAPAC) ..........................................................................29 6.6.2 Inter‐Ministerial Decision maker Conservation Training ............................................................30

7 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................33

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Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................................35 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................36 APPENDICES.........................................................................................................................................38

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since2006,WildlifeConservation Society’sAfghanistanprogramhas trainedandeducatedover 4000people in government, rural communities, universities, primary and secondary schools and non‐governmentalorganizations.TheseactivitieshaveprimarilyfocusedonWCSfieldsitesinBand‐i‐Amir,Ajar Valley, south‐central Nuristan Province and the Big and Little Pamir, but throughmedia, schooloutreach and other educational campaigns the conservationmessage ofWCS has had a widespreadgeographicreach.CapacitybuildingisakeycomponenttomanyWCSprograms,andAfghanistanisnoexception.Afghanistan’sfutureabilitytomanagenaturalresources isthreatenedby its lackofhumanand institutionalcapacity. Nowhere isthismoreevidentthan inthesciences,wherebasicknowledgeremainsacriticalconstraintonnaturalresourcesmanagement. The lackof institutionalandscientifictechnicalcapacityisaprimarythreattotheconservationofbiodiversity.

Shortcourses,fieldtraining,andinternationalstudytoursaimedtoincreaseknowledgeandskilllevelofWCS partners, and lead to a change in behavior or action that is favorable forwildlife conservation.While this report provides information on the location, duration, audience and purpose of trainingactivitiesconductedbyWCSsince2006, themainpurpose is togaugethesuccess (or failure)ofWCSAfghanistan training activities towards achieving larger program conservation goals. We used tests,interviews, observation and a novelmethodology for field training – training agreements – to assesstrainee’s improvement in knowledge and skill after the training, and observation and interviews todetermine if trainee’s actions or behavior had changed once they returned to their government orcommunitypositionafterthetraining.

TheAfghanistanprogram is focusedon several components: wildlifeand rangelandassessmentsandmonitoring, community conservation,wildlife trade,wildlife health, protected areamanagement andpolicy and governance. Detailed assessments of wildlife populations and rangeland condition inAfghanistanhadnotbeenundertakeninover30years.Atitsinceptionin2006oneprimaryobjectiveoftheWCSprogramwastoundertakethoroughsurveysoflargemammalsandotherfaunainBigPamir,LittlePamir,WaghjirValley,Band‐i‐Amir,AjarValleyandNuristanprovince.Thesesiteswereselectedbased on their existence in the past as former royal hunting grounds or as historically proposedprotectedareas. Afghanistannowhasone legally recognizednationalparkandother sitesatvariousstagesofdevelopment. Giventhenationalgovernment’s limitedreachinmanyrural,remotepartsofthe country, governance of protected areas requires heavy involvement by local communities, whooftendependdirectlyonlivestockfortheirsurvival.Thelackofveterinaryservicesandproliferationofdisease threatennotonly human livelihoods, but also thewildlife that come into contactwith them.Another significant threat to wildlife is trade. Now, as in the 1970s, fur trade in Afghanistan isubiquitous, mostly unregulated and fueled by Western expatriates. Mitigating threats to wildliferequires engagement of communities living in rural areas. They are directly dependent on naturalresources for their survival and often live in remote areas much outside the reach of the centralgovernment. Given their reliance on productive land for agriculture and pasture, communitiessurrounding proposed protected areas are a key component in conservation efforts as their use ofresourcesoftenoverlapswiththeneedsofwildlife.ThelegalframeworkundercreationbytheAfghangovernmentenhancestheabilityoflocalcommunitiestomanageandprotecttheirlocalresources,butcapacityneedstobestrengthenedatalllevelstoimplementthelaw.

WCShasworkedwithandprovidedtrainingtopartnergovernmentinstitutionssuchastheMinistryofAgriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, the National Environmental Protection Agency, Afghan TourOrganization, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Parliament, Ministry of Justice, and theMinistryofInteriortoimprovenaturalresourcemanagementandmitigatethreatstowildlife.Wehave

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seen multiple successes, including reducing demand for furs of CITES protected species like snowleopard,leopardandlynxatUSmilitarybases,improvingtheskillsofcommunitymembersoftheBand‐i‐Amir Protected Area Committee to manage Afghanistan’s first national park, increasing Englishcapacity and field knowledge of Band‐i‐Amir rangers, and providing never before offered courses tocommunitymembersandschoolchildreninconservationbiologyinWakhanandNuristan.Ourtrainingeffortsmade possible the firstwildlife surveys of Nuristan province in 30 years, the identification ofpreviouslyundocumentedspeciesinAfghanistanandthefirstprovisionofprivatizedveterinaryservicesintheWakhan,amongmanyothers.

Educationandtrainingarelong‐termendeavorsinwhichtheimpactonconservationgoalsisnotalwaysimmediatelyevident. However,wehavedemonstratedincreasedknowledgeandskill leveloftrainingparticipants in the fields ofwildlife health, protected areamanagement,mammal and bird surveyingtechniques,rangelandconservation,communitygovernance,andecotourism.Continuedevaluationoftraining participants is necessary to determine which investments have been most fruitful and toformulate future directions for conservation training in Afghanistan.

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Acronyms

ACC AfghanConservationCorpsADB AsianDevelopmentBankAI AvianInfluenzaANDS AfghanistanNationalDevelopmentStrategyBANP Band‐i‐AmirNationalParkBAPAC Band‐i‐AmirProtectedAreaCommitteeBBC BritishBroadcastingCorporationDCA DutchCommitteeforAfghanistanFAO Food&AgricultureOrganizationGPS GlobalPositioningSystemIBA ImportantBirdAreaMAIL MinistryofAgriculture,IrrigationandLivestockMOF MinistryofFinanceMRRD MinistryofRuralRehabilitationandDevelopmentNEPA NationalEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyNGO Non‐governmentalOrganizationNRM NaturalResourceManagementPA ProtectedAreaUNEP UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramUNICEF UnitedNationsChildren’sFundVFU VeterinaryFieldUnitWCS WildlifeConservationSociety

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Figures Figure1.ProposedProtectedAreaSitesofAfghanistan. ........................................................................... 6

Figure2.LogicalModelfortrainingMAILstafftomonitorandprotectwildlifepopulations .................... 8

Figure3.WildlifesurveyteamshikethroughNuristan. ........................................................................... 10

Figure4.LandscapeinUpperWakhan,Badakshan .................................................................................. 13

Figure 5. Wakhi community members' response to a question asking the type of program WCS isimplementing. .............................................................................................................................. 21

Figure6.Wakhicommunitymemberresponseregardingbenefitsfromwildife. .................................... 23

Figure7.Nuristanstudents'responsewhenaskedthebenefitstohumansfromwildlife. ...................... 24

Figure8.LogicalmodeldemonstratingpurposeoftourismtraininginAfghanistan. .............................. 25

Figure9.TemporarystructuresinthenewbazaarlocationinBANP. ....................................................... 27

Figure10.BAPACrepresentativesfrom13differentcommunitiesattheBANPRangerStation............. 30

Figure11.Logicalmodeloftraininghighlevelgovernmentofficials ........................................................ 32

Figure12.FundinglevelsforNEPAandMAILfrom2006‐09..................................................................... 33

Tables Table1.ResultoffieldtrainingforMAILcounterpartinAjarValleyinOctober2006………………………….…..9

Table 2. Result of field training for MAIL Wildlife Monitoring Officer in Wakhan/Pamir with WCS inAugust2006.................................................................................................................................. 10

Table3.ResultoffieldtrainingofMAILWildlifeMonitoringOfficerwithWCSinApril2007.................. 11

Table4.ResultsofBadakshanProvincialMAILstafffieldtrainingbyWCSinsummerof2006............... 11

Table5.Resultsofpreandpost‐trainingtestadministeredtoparticipantsofprotectedareaandwildlifemanagementtrainingcourse........................................................................................................ 13

Table6.ResultsofEvaluationofAvianInfluenzaandWildBirdIdentificationTrainings ......................... 16

Table7.NuristanEnglishteacherclassobservationresults(March2009). .............................................. 21

Table8.HotelandRestaurantManagementTrainingEvaluationResults. ............................................... 25

Table9.WakhanGuideandCookFeedbackFormSummary………………………………………………………………….29

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Appendices

AppendixA TourismGuideTrainingPreandPost‐EvaluationResults

AppendixB BANPWardenandRangerConservationPreandPost‐TestResults

AppendixC AttendeesofBand‐i‐AmirRangerTraining

AppendixD ParticipantsinStudyTourtoIndonesia

AppendixE TestofConservationKnowledgeforIndonesiaStudyTourParticipants

AppendixF TrainingAgreementFormat

AppendixH AllTrainingWorkshops,Seminars,StudyToursandFieldTrainingbyWCSFrom2006‐09

AppendixI ParticipantsinStudyTourtoWCSCambodia

AppendixJ InterviewConductedWithMAILStaff

AppendixK WakhanCommunityAwarenessQuestionnaire

AppendixL ResultsOfPost‐TrainingEvaluationinRangelandConservation

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1 INTRODUCTION Global conservation priorities far exceed the human technical capacity available to undertake them,especiallyinthedevelopingworldwhereitisestimatedthatraisingthelevelofprofessionalcapacityforconservationwouldcostbetween$USD100‐200million(Rodriguez2006).Afghanistanisnoexception.Conservation is limited by a shortage of qualified technical staff to manage and protect naturalresources. In order to sustain our conservation investment, theWildlife Conservation Society (WCS)muststrengthen localcapacityand institutions. Traininggovernmentstaff,communitymembers,anduniversity students has been a large component of theWCS program, funded by the United StatesAgency for International Development (USAID). While training and education is often an integralcomponent of conservation programs its effectiveness is not regularly measured in terms ofconservation impact; research rarely demonstrates the relationship between people’s understandingandtheirattitudesandbehavior(Bride2006).AsurveyofWCSCountryDirectorsinAsiaindicatedthatallconsideredtrainingactivitiescritically important,butmanyconsideredtheir trainingandeducationprograms of unknown success (Banham 2007). The purpose of this report is to address this lack ofmeasurementoftrainingeffectivenesswithregardtoconservationgoalsandtogaugethesuccess(orfailure)ofWCSAfghanistantrainingactivitiestowardsachievinglargerprogramconservationgoals.

Fromshortcoursestointernationaltrainingprograms,trainingcanbemeasuredinfourlevels:reaction,learning,behavior,and impact (Kirkpatrick1996). Reactioncanbedescribedashowwellparticipantslike or dislike a training program. The assumption is that if participants are happywith the format,designandcontentofthetrainingtheywillbemoreopentolearningnewinformation.Atthelearninglevel,participantsareexpectedtoimproveknowledge,developskillsorchangeattitudes.Evaluationsatthislevelmeasureparticipants’knowledgerelativetotrainingobjectives,buttheydonotmeasurehowthis knowledgewill be used in the long term after the training is complete. As a result of learning,trainingintendstoimpactthebehavioroftheparticipant.Whatwilltheparticipantdoordodifferentlywhen the training is complete? Evaluation tools at this level include focus groups, observation,interviews or surveys (Simmons). Finally, a change in behavior should bring about results thatcontributetogreaterconservationgoals,suchasareductioninthreatstowildlifeorincreasedwildlifepopulations.Whileitisquitestraightforwardtomeasureaparticipant’sreactiontotraining,itbecomesmore complex to evaluate participants’ learning and resulting behavior change. Identified byConservationBiologyasoneoftheonehundredquestionsofimportancetotheconservationofglobalbiological diversity, this report aims to contribute to the discussion on the relationship betweenindividuals’ learning about environmental problems and their conservation attitudes, knowledge,behaviors and actions (Sutherland et. al. 2009), specifically as it relates to wildlife conservation inAfghanistan.Whiletheperiodbeingmeasuredisquitebrief,trainingactivitiesconductedfrom2006to2009areevaluatedagainst largerWCSprogramconservationgoals.Ongoingmonitoringoverthelongterm is necessary to demonstrate the impact that training and education will have on biodiversityconservationinAfghanistan.

2 CAPACITY IN AFGHANISTAN HavingcomeoutofaperiodofoppressiveTalibanrulein2001,precededbytwodecadesofdevastatingwar,Afghanistanhasseen3.5millionrefugeesreturntotheirhomelandinthepast8years.Inthistime,developmenthasproceededatafrenziedpaceasover13,000kmofroadshavebeenrehabilitated,over600schoolshavebeenrebuiltorimproved,andhealthcarehasexpandedtoreachmoreremoteregionsofthecountry.However,manychallengesremain.TheoverallliteracyrateinBadakshan,Bamyanand

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Nuristanprovincesisbetween22‐26%(MRRD2006).Womendonothaveequalaccesstoeducationoreconomicopportunities.Ruralpopulationsarehighlydependentonnaturalresourcesfortheirsurvival,specificallyrangelandforpastureandshrubsandtimberforfuelwood.Withinthiscontext,WCSworkswithlocalcommunitiesandtheGovernmentoftheIslamicRepublicofAfghanistanat5differentsitesinNuristan, Badakshan and Bamyan provinces to help manage natural resources, and monitor wildlifepopulationsandmitigatethreats.

2.1 NationalEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(NEPA)NEPAwas created inMay 2005 out of a department that existedwithin theMinistry of Energy andWater.TheEnvironmentLaw(OfficialGazetteNo.912dated25January2007)definedtheresponsibilityand function of NEPA, which is the regulatory, policy‐making and monitoring institution for theenvironment.WithintheagencytheDepartmentofNaturalHeritageProtection,withastaffof6,hasthemandate for protected areas. NEPA intends to establish offices in eachof the 34 provinces, butprogresstowardsthisgoalisunclear.IthasprovincialrepresentationinBamyan(totalstaff=8‐10)andBadakshan(totalstaff=4‐5).Givenitsnascentcreation,NEPA’sinstitutionalandhumancapacityhasnotyetrisentomeetitsmandateandGeneralDirectorMostaphaZaherhasidentifiedthedevelopmentofNEPA’shumanresourcesasakeypriorityforhisagency(Anonymous2008‐2013).

2.2 MinistryofAgriculture,IrrigationandLivestock(MAIL)MAIL bears the responsibility formanagement and implementation for three of themost importantsectors in Afghanistan – agriculture, veterinarymedicine and natural resources. The Department ofProtected Areas falls under the Directorate of Natural ResourceManagement (NRM), alongwith theForestry Department and the Rangelands Department. Positions within NRM seem to be fluid withregularstaffingshiftsbetweendifferentdepartmentsdependingonneed.Asofthiswriting,theParksDepartmenthasfourstaffmemberswhoseprofessionalexperiencerangesbetween5‐15years.Allhaveuniversity degrees from Kabul University Faculty of Agriculture. The Director General of the NRMDirectoratereportstooneofthreedeputyministers,whoreportdirectlytotheMinisterofAgriculture,IrrigationandLivestock. IncontrastwithNEPA,MAIL isawell‐establishedministrywithawidespreadpresence throughout thecountry. Theirprovincial andcentralofficesare relativelywell resourced intermsofstaffnumbersandinsomecases,equipmentandvehicles,thoughtherearecertainlyexampleswhereimprovementismuchneeded.TheresponsibilityforprotectedareasandtherespectiverolesofMAILandNEPAareoccasionallyblurredattheprovinciallevelandinday‐to‐dayoperations,thoughatahigherlevelthefunctionsarefairlyclear.

The Government of Afghanistan depends on “top‐up” salaries by development organizations andmultilateral institutions to retain skilled technical staff that might otherwise pursue more lucrativeopportunities in theprivate sector,militaryorwith internationalNGOs.Withgovernment salaries forentry‐level civil servants set atUSD$50/month, there is little incentive forqualified technicalAfghanpersonneltopursuethesepositions.

2.3 AcademiaThereareninepublicregionaluniversitiesinAfghanistan(Nangarhar,Khost,Kandahar,Herat,Bamyan,Mazar,Takhar,BadakshanandKapisa).MostregionaluniversitiesofferaFacultyofAgriculture,whichmay cover wildlife management; the only Faculty of Science in the country is at Kabul University.Education beyond a Bachelor’s degree is currently not possible in Afghanistan, but with a flood offoreignaidsince2002,therearegrowingopportunitiesfor internationalundergraduate,graduateandprofessionaltrainingforuniversityprofessors,governmentstaffandstudentsinagriculture,rangeland,

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wildlife, watershed and environmental sciences. Pervasive throughout the country is a lecture‐styleteachingmethod that rarelyencourages students’ activeparticipation. Due toa lackof financial andtransportation resources and a high student‐teacher ratio in many classes, there is almost noopportunityforstudentstoperformpracticalfieldorlabworkinthesciencesoragriculturecurriculum.

2.4 Non‐GovernmentOrganizationsThe environmental NGO sector in Afghanistan is growing, but struggles for financial stability. Theflagship NGO, Save the Environment Afghanistan (SEA), has existed for decades and has developedoutreachprogramsandmaterials,somewithsupportfromtheInternationalCraneFoundation.GreenHouseOrganization isnewlycreatedand isdevelopingprojectplans. Therearepotentiallydozensofother locally focusedorsmallenvironmentalNGOsthroughout thecountry. TomyknowledgeUSAIDhas not given any grants directly to an Afghan environmental NGO though the strengthening of civilsociety organizations was a component of USAID’s grant to ECODIT’s Biodiversity Support Program.WCShasworkedincooperationwithSEAonseveralmaterialsforenvironmentaleducation.

3 EVALUATION METHODS WCS employed different evaluationmethods depending onwhetherweweremeasuring knowledge,skills,orbehavioralchangeasaresultoftraining.

3.1 InterviewTomeasurebehavioralchangeorattitudesandknowledgeregardingconservation,WCSusedstructuredinterviews with carefully worded questionnaires in which the interviewer deviated from thequestionnaireonlytoclarifyunclearresponses.Thisensuredthateachintervieweewasaskedthesameset of questions. Interviews were conducted primarily by WCS Training Officer, Mohammad ArefRahimy in the local languageandthentranslated intoEnglish. Hewas trained in interviewtechniqueusing guidelines in Rabinowitz’sWildlife FieldResearch andConservation TrainingManual,whichhasbeentranslatedintoDari(1997).Theadvantageofusinginterviewsisthatitallowstheevaluatortoaskfollow‐up questions to clarify responses and obtain in‐depth information. However, the interviewermay bias the results unintentionally by the way in which questions are asked, or simply by theiraffiliation and the potential willingness of the respondent to provide answers that are seeminglypleasingtotheinterviewer.WCSusedinterviewstoassesscommunityknowledgeandattitudesaboutenvironmental issues in the Wakhan and to determine the extent to which high‐level governmentemployeeswereusingtrainingtheyhadreceivedduringastudytourtoIndonesia.

3.2 TestsTests can be used to evaluate knowledge attainment or achievement of training objectives. Theadvantageofusingthismethodistheycanbeswiftlyimplementedtoalargegroupwithrelativelylittletimeandmoney.Resultscanbeeasilyquantified.However,thistoolisnotveryusefulfortraineeswhoare illiterate or semi‐literate as can be the case when training rural community members. WCScommonly used tests before and after (and sometimes only after) trainings to determine increasedknowledge as a result of the training or the extent to which trainees knowledge met the trainingobjectives.Amixofmultiplechoice,true/falseandshortanswerquestionswereused.Thistoolprovedslightly difficult for undereducated community members who did not have much experience in testtaking. However, itwas the bestmethod available given time and financial constraints. Testswereoftencombinedwithopinionquestionstoassessparticipants’ reactiontothetraining. Inmanycasestestsrequestedthenameofrespondents,whichmeantthatopinionquestionsabouttrainingcontent

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and format could not be submitted anonymously. These instances are noted as itmay have biasedreactionresults.

3.3 ObservationObservation isuseful toaccuratelyassesshowanactivityorskill isput intopracticeandcanbemoreaccuratethanaquestionnaire,whichasksapersontodescribehowtheyareimplementingaskill.Onedrawback of this method is that the presence of the observer may alter the participant’s behavior.Observationwasusedtodeterminebehaviorchangeasaresultoftwotrainings‐teachersinNuristanwere observed in the classroom applying topics from a training they took fromWCS severalmonthsprior.Inaddition,businessownersinthebazaarofBand‐i‐AmirNationalPark(BANP)wereobservedtoseehowtheywereapplyingtraininginhotelandrestaurantmanagementintheirbusinesspractice.

3.4 TrainingAgreementThetrainingagreement isusedtoassessknowledgeandbehaviorchange for trainingprovided in thefield,usuallywhenonementor istrainingasmallteamof1‐4counterparts. Priortothefieldtrainingtheteamdiscusses thetraining’s relevancetobiodiversityconservation, thegoalsof thetraining,andtherelevantinstitutionsworkinginthisareainAfghanistan.Inaddition,theteamdiscussestheroleofthe counterpart after the training is finished. Howwill this traininghelphimdohis jobbetter? Theteamthendiscusseseachcounterpart(s)capacitylevelandthebasicskillsnecessaryforfieldwork.Theydecideonasetofcoreskillsthattheywilldevelopduringthefieldtraining.Eachskillismeasuredataninitial stage and a final stage based on a 0‐10 scale,where 0 is ‘No Competency’ and 10 is ‘Expert’.During the initial stage the mentor and counterpart also discuss an expected or desired level ofcompetencythatshouldbeattainedbytheendofthefieldtraining.Inasectiontitled,ActionPlan,thecounterpartandmentorsetupascheduleofspecificactivitiesthatthecounterpartcanputintoactionafter the field training. It is designed to assess whether the counterpart uses the skills built duringtrainingwhentheyreturntotheirpositions.Theactivitieshaveascheduledcompletiondateandshouldbemeasurable in someway so thementor can evaluate the planned activities. Similar to the focalcompetencies, thementorandcounterpartdecideonanexpectedordesired levelofcompetencyonthesame0‐10scaleanduponcompletionoftheactivitythementorandcounterpartdecideonthelevel(from0‐10)thathasbeenattained. Toconclude,thementorexplainshisrolesandresponsibilitiesintermsofthetrainingandagreement.Forexample,howmanydayswillbespentinthefield,howmanyin theclassroom, the frequencyofcontactonce the fieldcomponent isoverandother tasks thatwillfacilitate the agreement. The counterpart also outlines his roles and responsibilities, such as thenumberof days hewill participate in classroomand field training, agree to submit things in a timelymanner, and communicate regularly with the project manager. The mentor, counterpart andcounterpart’s supervisorsign thecontractagreementand it isusedas thebasisofskillsdevelopmentduringthedurationofthetrainingperiod(AppendixG).The evaluation of training activities summarized in this report is affected by several key limitations.First, time andmoney significantly affected efforts on all levels. Evaluationmethodswere not field‐tested and on certain occasions the methods we chose were not ideal for illiterate or semi‐literatetrainingparticipants.Theseinstancesarenotedwhereapplicable.Also,staffimplementingevaluationswas sometimes inexperienced or had received little training. This may have affected intervieweeresponses. Noevaluationof controlgroupswasundertaken tocomparedifferingoutcomesbetweenparticipantswhohadbeentrainedbyWCSandthosewhohadreceivednotraining.Evaluationsoftentookplaceinremotesitesandbecauseoftimeandfinancialconstraintswereincludedinfieldmissions

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thathadmultipleobjectives.Thisoftenlimitedsamplesize,astimeandvehicleswerealimitingfactor.Therefore,itcanbedifficulttodrawconclusionsthatarescientificallysignificant.

4 INVESTMENT NotcoveredinKirkpatrick’soriginalmodel,thefifthleveloftrainingevaluationissometimesincludedascost‐benefit or cost‐effectiveness analysis (Simmons),which evaluates the effectiveness of training inproducingsomeoutcome.Inthiscase,theoutcomeisaconservationgoal,forexampleanincreaseintheurialpopulationinanationalpark.Giventherecentimplementationofmanyoftheseactivitiesitisnotyetaccuratetoevaluatethetraining in theseterms,but it isuseful toconsider thetotal financialinvestment spentworking toward thesegoals. The followingdata isbased solelyondirect costsanddoesnotincludeindirectcosts,suchassecurity,logisticsoradministrationbornbytheWCS‐Afghanistanprogram.Biodiversity assessments were undertaken at proposed protected area sites in the Afghan Pamir,Nuristan, Ajar Valley and Band‐i‐Amir. In Nuristan, total training expenses for per diem, hotels,translationandnon‐WCSstafftimewereatleast$20,400USDtoensurethatthewildlifesurveyteamscould independentlyandcorrectlyconductsurveys in the field. WhenWCSstaff timetoprepareandtrain teams is included, approximate investment in training Nuristan wildlife survey teams isapproximately$47,000USD. These figuresarebasedstrictlyontrainingexpensesanddonot includeresources used for fieldwork. In theAfghan Pamir, resources invested to do rangeland assessments,birdsurveys,MarcoPolosheepandothermammalsurveysandtrainingonlivestockandwildlifediseaseisapproximately$93,400USD,whichincludestrainertime.Theseareroughapproximationsanddonotinclude time spent training WCS staff members, such as research assistants, who do not hold agovernmentorcommunityleadershipposition.InBand‐i‐AmirandAjarValleyitcanbeestimatedthatatleast$27,000USDhasbeeninvestedintrainingcommunitymembers,MAILandNEPAstaffforbird,rangelandandwildlifesurveys. Thetotal investmentfortraininggovernmentofficialsandcommunitymemberstodobiodiversityassessmentsfrom2006‐2009wasatleast$167,400USD.

TraininghighlevelgovernmentdecisionmakersandmembersofcommunitygovernanceorganizationscomprisethebulkofWCScapacitybuildingeffortsforthepolicyandgovernancefocalarea.Thetotalinvestmentfortheseeffortswasatleast$100,000USD,includingstafftime.

WCShasinvestedaminimumof$152,000USDincommunityconservationtrainingeffortsineducation,ecotourism, and protected area management. This includes staff time to set up, administer andevaluatetraining.Allofthesecostsareconservativeestimatesandactualcostsarelikelytobehigher.

5 PROPOSED PROTECTED AREAS

5.1 Band‐i‐AmirBand‐i‐AmirissituatedincentralAfghanistan’sBamyanProvinceandischaracterizedbyaseriesofsixlakesofcrystalblueformedbytravertinedams.ItwasdeclaredaprovisionalnationalparkbyNEPAinApril 2009 for a termof three years. There are 15 villages in the vicinity of Band‐i‐Amir lakeswith acombinedpopulationof about3,980people (MAIL2009). Themajor landuse issues include irrigatedfarming,rain‐fedfarming,grazing,shrubcollection,reedcutting,andwaterfowlhunting.Thelakesaresituatedatanaltitudeof2900mandthesurroundingcountrysidefallsbetweenanelevationof3200–3400m (MAIL2009). TheBand‐i‐Amir regionhostswolvesCanis lupus, red foxVulpes vulpes,Afghan

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pikaOchotona rufescens, andmore than 80 species of birds. There are varied reports of ibexCaprasibericaandurialOvisorientalisintheBANPsurroundingarea(MAIL2009;HajiZaherpers.comm.).

5.2 AjarValleyAjarValley isa longgorgecreatedbytheAjarRiverandthe JawzariCanyon.Theareahashistoricallyhostedpopulations of ibex, urial, andBactriandeerCervus elaphus bactrianus andpredators such assnowleopardPantherauncia,leopardPantherapardus,lynxLynxlynxandwolves(Shank1977).DuringthetimeofKingZaherShahitwasaroyalhuntingreserve.Thirtyyearsofconflictandintensehuntinghave significantly reducedwildlifepopulationswith recentestimatesof ibex reduced frompotentially5000in1977toapproximately500in2007(Shank1977;Shank,pers.comm.).Disputesregardinglandtenure, deforestation and overharvest continue to threaten the natural resources of this area(Anonymous2003).

5.3 AfghanPamirThe Afghan Pamir consists of potentially three different proposed protected areas‐ Big Pamir, LittlePamirandWaghjirValley.TheBigPamirextendsoverabout5,500km2.TheWakhioccupythewesternBigPamirandlivestockextensivelyusetheareaforgrazingduringtherelativelymildsummermonths(Ostrowski2006).TheKyrgyzethnicgroupinhabitstheeasternportionoftheBigPamirandthey(andtheirlivestock)areyear‐roundinhabitantsofthearea(Ostrowski2007).ThemanagementplanfortheBigPamirWildlifeReservewasproposedovera679km2areaover30yearsago,buthasneverbeen

legally recognized (Petocz 1978). Kyrgyzpastoralists inhabit the Little Pamir andmovecampsseasonally.TheBigandLittlePamir hosts species such as Marco PolosheepOvisammonpolii,wolf,brownbearUrsus arctos, ibex, and snow leopard(Fitzherbert 2003; Habib 2008). The verynortheastern tip of Afghanistan is theWaghjirValley.ItisuninhabitedandhostsyakoftheLittlePamirKyrgyzforgrazinginwinter, in addition to Marco Polo sheep(Habib2008).TheAfghanPamirfallswithintheWakhanDistrict,oneofmanydistrictsof northeastern Badakshan Province.There isvery littlepresenceofnationalorprovincial government staff in the AfghanPamir. Within the Lower and UpperWakhan (from Khandud to Sarhad‐e‐

Broghil)schoolshavebeenopenonlysincethefalloftheTalibanwithsignificantassistancefromUNICEF(Mock 2007). TheWakhan has 14 schools spread throughout the valley, only 3 ofwhich are highersecondary(uptoClass12).TherearenoformalschoolsinthePamirsfortheKyrgyzpeople.

5.4 NuristanNuristan province holds an extensive portion of the country's remaining deciduous and coniferousforests, which harbor a diverse assemblage of wildlife. Extensive deforestation, hunting, and laxregulation pose serious threats to the future persistence of these forests, and of its wildlife, amongwhicharefiveglobally‐threatenedlargemammalspecies:snowleopard,markhorCaprafalconeri,urial,

Figure 1. Proposed Protected Area Sites of Afghanistan.

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muskdeerMoschuscupreusandAsiaticblackbearUrsusthibetanus.WCShasbeenworkinginanareaof south central Nuristan province in theWaygal Valleywhere Petocz conductedmarkhor surveys in1977 (Petocz 1977). Nuristan suffers fromongoingunrest and lacks a significant presence from thecentralgovernmentorinternationalhumanitariancommunity.

6 PROGRAM OUTCOMES The WCS program can be roughly grouped into several different areas of focus: communityconservation,policyandgovernance,wildlifeandrangelandassessments,protectedareamanagement,wildlifehealthandwildlifetrade.Trainingandcapacitybuildingcontributestoachievingtheobjectivesaslaidoutineachofthesefocalareas.DuetoalackofqualifiedtechnicalpersonnelWCSreliesheavilyon consultants from Europe, the US and Canada for program implementation. Given Afghanistan’scurrent security issues, as well as language and cultural differences, there are limitations with thisdesign. The trainingcomponentaims toequipacadreofAfghanconservationprofessionalswith theknowledge and skills necessary to sustainably manage conservation in Afghanistan. The trainingimplemented from 2006‐2009 to achieve objectives in each focal area is discussed in more detail,though for the sake of brevity not all training courses are discussed in detail. A list of all trainingsimplementedbyWCSfrom2006‐09isinAppendixH.

6.1 Wildlife&RangelandAssessmentsDetailed assessments of wildlife populations and rangeland condition in Afghanistan had not beenundertaken inover30years,and then inonly selectareas.At itsinception in2006oneprimaryobjectiveoftheWCSprogramwastoundertakethoroughsurveysoflargemammalsandotherfaunainBigPamir, LittlePamir,WaghjirValley,Band‐i‐Amir,AjarValleyand Nuristan province. In addition, detailed rangelandassessmentsoftheAfghanPamirandBand‐i‐Amirwereapriority.Thisfocalareaalsoincludedanassessmentoftheextentofthreatfromwildlife trade and the potential risk of disease transmissionbetween domestic livestock and wildlife. MAIL staff are taskedwithmonitoring rangeland conditionandwildlifepopulationsbutgiven limitations on technical capacity and financial resources donot have a sustainable presence in the proposed protected areasites.Thusitisoftenalsonecessarytotraincommunitymembersto undertake wildlife and/or rangeland assessments. From theinception of the WCS program, MAIL staff and communitymembershavebeentrainedinthefieldbyinternationalexperts,inshort courses and through study travel programs to obtain theskillsandknowledgenecessarytomonitorandprotectbiodiversity(Figure 2). Participant testing or training agreements wereconducted in most of these occasions to assess knowledge andskills gained. The goal outlined in Figure 2, of MAIL staffmonitoring and protecting wildlife populations, is in accordancewith that set forth by the Department of Natural ResourceManagementofMAIL.

WILDLIFE&RANGELANDTRAININGTOPICSUMMARY1

• Introductiontobirding• Rangelandconservation&mgmt.• Asiaticblackbearconservation• WildlifeMonitoring• FieldTraining–Mammals,Birds,RangelandMonitoring;MarcoPoloSheep

• Wildlifepopulationbiology• IntroductiontoGIS• ConservationGIS• Smallmammaltrapping• CameratrappingsurveydesignandImplementation

• Snowleopardconservationplanning• Fieldequipmentuseanddatarecording

• Birdidentificationandmonitoring• WildlifeBiologyMastersDegree• Herbariumspecimenlabelingandmounting

• Wildlifesurveymethodologiesanddatacollection

1FulldetailsinAppendixHandintext

8

TheDepartmentofParksreliesoninformationgatheredfromtheprovincialdepartmentstoadequatelymonitor and mitigate threats to wildlife. WCS conducted interviews with pertinent staff of MAIL toevaluate the existence of communication channels between the national and provincial level, thepresence and capacity of provincial government staff to monitor wildlife and the frequency of datacollected and communicated to the national level regarding wildlife issues, (n=7; Medium TermOutcome/IndicatorinFigure2).AtthenationalleveltheDirectorGeneraloftheDepartmentofNaturalResourceManagementwasinterviewed,aswellastheDirectoroftheProtectedAreasDepartmentandone of two Wildlife Monitoring Officers within this Department. Each provincial Director of theDepartmentofAgriculturewasalsointerviewed,aswellasthenationalparkwardenandonerangerinBand‐i‐AmirNationalPark.ThefullquestionnaireisinAppendixJ.TheinterviewresultsaresummarizedbelowaccordingtoprovincesofWCSprojectsites–Bamyan,BadakshanandNuristan.

6.1.1 Bamyan

WCS conducted wildlife surveys for urial, small mammals and birds, resource harvest assessmentsurveysandengagedincommunityeducationandconsultationwithregardtothedevelopmentofBANPonquarterlyorsemi‐annualfieldvisitsfrom2006‐08.

In total, WCS trained three staff from the Central Government in Band‐i‐Amir for 95 days. ThegovernmentcounterpartfromtheProtectedAreaDivisionofMAILimprovedinallcompetenciesthathewasable toparticipate induringa rapidassessment survey for threeweeks inAjarValley, theKing’s

Figure 2. Logical Model for training MAIL staff to monitor and protect wildlife populations

9

former hunting reserve. Though in all cases he did notmeet the expected level of ability (Table 1).Skillorknowledgeachievementwasnotmeasuredduringotherfieldmissions.

Table 1. Result of field training for MAIL counterpart in Ajar Valley in October 2006.

COMPETENCY (The ability to..) LEVEL OF ABILITY

Initial

1/Oct/06Expected/Desired

Final20/Oct/06

1.Readmaps,useGPSandcompass 1 7 52.Recognizeandidentifymountainbirds 1 5 43.Doanungulatesurveyusingdirectobservation

0 7 6

4.Trap/collectsmallmammals0 7

Notenoughfieldtestingtoevaluateskills

5.Handlespecimensanddomuseummounts CounterpartdidnotparticipateforreligiousreasonsProgramManagercouldnotevaluate6.Understandprotectedareamanagement

issues3 7 5

Smallmammals have not been extensively studied in BANP. A team of four Afghanswas trained inOctober2007toundertakean inventoryofsmallmammals inthehillssurroundingBand‐i‐PudinaandBand‐i‐Paneer. The four team members were trained in equipment use, such as GPS and digitalcameras, snap and Sherman trap function, collection and tagging procedures anddata recording andmanagement. Team members were not evaluated formally through tests, but after being trainedsucceeded in establishing 550m transects in four different sites and collected 49 samples of smallmammal specimens over a two‐week period. Experts at the National Museum of Natural History,SmithsonianInstitution,WashingtonDC,UShaveidentifiedthesespecimens.

6.1.2 Nuristan

WildlifesurveyworkinNuristanwassetinmotioninNovember2006withaworkshoponconceptsandtechniques for conductingwildlifesurveys taught by two consultants to theWCS India program.The

intended outcomewas to prepare teamsof community members, provincialgovernment staff and research assistantsto a level wheretheywereableto carryoutsurveysindependently.

Wildlife surveys had not been conductedin Nuristan in over thirty years and theparticipants reportednopriorexperienceusing field equipment, collecting data, ordoingsystematicsurveys.Morethanhalfofthegroupof12werefromorhadlivedinNuristanforsometimesowerefamiliarwith the natural history of the speciespresent in the region. Afterapproximately 22 full days of training,three teams of 4 people conducted

Figure 3. Wildlife survey teams hike in Nuristan. (Photo credit: Ismail Tuheed)

10

surveys in the study site in south‐central Nuristan Province. Upon completion of the initial survey,teams returned to Kabul where several mistakes were identified, such as errors in equipment use,protocolanddatarecording.Anadditional10dayswerespenttrainingteamsinKabultorectifyerrors.From January toMay 2007wildlife teams performed occupancy surveys in the study site (Figure 3).FromJune2007toNovember2007teamsconductedcameratrapsurveys,collectedsmallmammalsandcontinuedtocollect scats for laterspecies identification. Teamscollected the first systematicwildlifepresence/absencedatafromNuristanin30years.Nosystematicevaluationofknowledgeobtainedwasconducted though it is certainly the case that this projectwouldnot havebeenpossiblewithout thesignificantinvestmentintrainingattheoutset.Sincealargeportionoffieldteamswerecomprisedoflocalcommunitymembers, itwouldbebeneficialtomeasurehowtheirinvolvementwithandtrainingbyWCShaschangedtheirbehaviorordecisionmakingintheircommunities,ifatall.

Nuristan isoneof theareasrichest inbiodiversity,but lacksastrongpresencefromMAILandhasnoNEPA representation. TheDirectorof theDepartmentofAgriculture inNuristanand fourofhis staffweretrainedbyWCSaspartoftheinitialwildlifesurveysinNovember2006,butitisnotclearifthosetrainedstillholdtheirpositions.DuetotheinaccessibilityofNuristanandsecurityproblems,wewereunable to conduct an interview with the provincial Director of the Department of Agriculture.GovernmentofficialsatthenationallevelreportedreceivingveryfewreportsfromNuristanandtwoofthree officials reported that there was no government staff in Nuristan collecting data on wildlifepresenceintheprovince.

6.1.3 Badakshan

The Department of Protected Areas andWildlife Management staff accompanied internationalWCSexpertsinwildlifebiologytoconductfieldsurveysintheWakhanandPamir.WCStrainedoneofMAIL’sWildlife Monitoring Officers in mammal and habitat assessments in the Wakhan and Pamir in thesummerof2006.IneightkeycompetenciesidentifiedbybothmentorandcounterpartduringAugust2006,thecounterpartimprovedcomparedtotheinitialevaluation,thoughdidnotachievetheexpectedordesiredlevelofskill (Table2).Hereceivedover150daysoffieldtrainingfrom2006to2008.Trainingevaluationforfieldsessionsfromspring2007onwardswerenotcompleted.

Table 2. Result of field training for MAIL Wildlife Monitoring Officer in Wakhan/Pamir with WCS in August 2006.

COMPETENCY (The ability to..) LEVEL OF ABILITY

Initial(02/Aug/06)

Expected/Desired

Final(25/Sept/06)

1.Usebasicfieldequipment(GPS,binoculars,compass,rangefinderandcameratrap)

0 7 6

2.StratifydifferenthabitatunitsintheWakhan 2 8 7

3.Recognizemammalsbasedondifferentmorphologicalcharacteristicsandhabitattypes

3 9 8

4.RecognizedirectandindirectevidenceofmammalsoftheWakhanarea

1 8 7

5.Establishplotsandtransects(line,pointandbelt)forsamplingdirectandindirectevidence

0 7 6

6.Recognizeandcollectdatapertainingtoanimalsandhabitatusingnominal/ordinalandinterval/ratioscale

0 7 6

11

7.Summarizeandcalculatesamplestatisticalparameters(mean,median,SD,CV,95%CLofthedatacollectedinfield)

0 7 6

8.Applyandusetheappropriatefieldmethoddependingonwhethermammals,birdsorhabitatsarebeingsampled

0 7 6

The following spring six new competencies were evaluated. The counterpart improved in allcompetenciesoverthethree‐weekperiod,andachievedthetargetlevelinallbutonearea(Table3).

Table 3. Result of field training of MAIL Wildlife Monitoring Officer with WCS in April 2007.

COMPETENCY (The ability to..)

LEVEL OF ABILITY

Initial(02/Apr/07)

Target Final(22/Apr/07)

1.Getexactinformationonthelossoflivestockfromthelocalpeople

1 7 8

2.Getinformationaboutthedistributionpatternofthespeciesaroundthevillages

1 7 7

3.Gettruthfulinformationfromlocalpeopleusingproperinterviewtechniques

1 7 7

4.Opportunisticallyrecordwildlifeduringthesurvey

3 6 6

5.Educatepeopleregardingtheimportanceofwildlife

2 7 7

6.Reportsurveyresults

2 7 5

Rangelands are the major land type in Afghanistan comprising between 70 and 80% of the country(Bedunah2006).Oneof themostcriticalproblemsregardingsustainableuseof rangeland isa lackofinstitutional capacity for managing and understanding rangeland ecosystems (Bedunah 2006). Topromote greater knowledge and skills for rangelandmonitoring and conservationWCS trainedMAILstaffinthefieldandheldaworkshopforcommunityleadersandMAILstaffinrangelandmanagement.ThreeBadakshanProvincialDepartmentofAgriculture staff spentover30days in theWakhan/Pamirregioninsummerof2006wheretheyconductedsurveysasfareastastheWaghjirValley.Eachmemberoftheteamimprovedtheirskills inthefield,andusuallyperformedequaltooratahigher levelthanexpected(Table4).

Table 4. Results of Badakshan Provincial MAIL staff field training by WCS in summer of 2006.

COMPETENCY (The ability to…) LEVEL OF ABILITY (0‐10)

IndividualscoresseparatedbycolumnA,BandC.

Initial(24/July/06)

Expected/Desired

Final(27/Aug/06)

A B C A B C A B C1.Recognizedifferenttypesofplants(shrubsvs.forbsvs.grasses)

4 4 6 7 7 8 7 7.5 8

2.Recognizemajorplantcommunitiesofthe 1 1 4 8 8 8 8 8 8

12

WakhanCorridor(alpinevs.valleyvs.riverine)

3.Estimateplantcoverusingplotsofknownarea

4 3 6 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

4.Estimatestandingcropusingplotsofknownarea

1 1 1 5 5 7 5 5 8

5.Findasuitablelocationforaplotandtransect

2 3 5 7 7 8 7 7 8

6.Layoutaplotandtransect 1 1 2 8 8 8 8 8 97.UseacompassandGPStosetplotlocation 1 1 1 8 8 8 8 8 98.UseacompassandGPStomonitorsitelocation

1 1 1 8 8 8 8 8 9

InJanuary2007,WCSimplementeda3‐dayworkshopattheprovincialheadquartersoftheDepartmentof Agriculture in Faizabad, Badakshan. Twenty‐one provincial rangeland staff and seven communityleaders from the Lower and Upper Wakhan attended the training to learn basic plant biology,importance of rangelandmanagement and integrated watershed and rangeland planning, rangelandhydrologyandmethodsforreducingdamagefromovergrazing.Onthefinaldayparticipantswereaskedto fill out an evaluation that assessed their knowledge of key topics covered during the training(AppendixL).Approximately20of28participantstooktheevaluation,whichwastranslatedintoDari.There were some members of the group with limited literacy skills, which prevented them fromunderstandingmostofthequestionsandtheirresponseshavenotbeenincluded.Includedinthistestwere several questions to assess the reaction of participants to the training. Seventy percent ofparticipantssaidtheywereverylikelytousethetraininginformationintheirlifeorwork.Eighty‐eightpercent said their knowledge ofrangeland conservation hadincreasedasaresultofthetraining.Eighty‐five percent of respondentssaid that the information in thetraining was mostly new orcompletely new. Participants wereaskedtoputtheirnamesonthetest,which may have affected theirresponses. In sum, the majority ofparticipantsachievedabasiclevelofknowledge of rangelandconservation that met the trainingobjectives.

Conclusion

Centralgovernmentstaffdemonstratedimprovedknowledgeofwildlifemonitoringmethodsandskillsasa resultofWCS training (Table1,2,3,4). However,basedon informationprovided fromMAIL staffregardingBamyanandBadakhsanprovincetheyhavenotusedthisknowledgetostandardizemethodsintheirownreporting.Itispossiblethattheydonothavetheknowledgeofhowtosetuporseethe

Figure 4. Landscape in Upper Wakhan, Badakshan (Photo credit: Kara Stevens)

13

value in regularlymonitoringwildlifepresence. It is alsopossible that theyhaveattempted to createsuchasystem,buthavenotyetachievedtheresultstheyseek.Sincewewereunabletocollectreportsbeingsubmittedto thecentralgovernment it isdifficult torecommendadjustments. Currently,MAILandNEPArelymainlyon informationfrominternationalorganizationstoknowwhethertheproposedprotectedareasareeffectiveatprotecting target species.Ultimately thedifficulty facedbyprovincialgovernment staff and communitymembers in requesting and receiving assistance from enforcementofficialsisagreaterimpedimenttoreducingormitigatingthreatstowildlife.EducatingtheMinistryofInterior’sborderguards, intelligenceofficials,andpoliceofficersat local,provincialandnational levelsabout wildlife protection, Afghanistan’s environmental law and the link between environment andsecuritycouldprovetobuildalliesandsupportinaMinistrythatWCShastodateworkedlittlewith.

6.2 ProtectedAreaManagementAfghanistanhasonelegallyrecognizednationalparkandothersitesatvariousstagesofdevelopment.Giventhenationalgovernment’slimitedreachinmanyrural,remotepartsofthecountry,governanceof protected areas requires heavy involvement by localcommunities. In thepast three years,WCShas invested trainingfor protected area management at all levels, but primarilytargeting rural community members and local governmentofficials.ThreemembersofMAIL’sDepartmentofProtectedAreasandWildlifeManagementattendeda two‐weekcourseatAligarhMuslimUniversityinAligarh,IndiainNovember2006.Thecourseincluded topics in wildlife biology, as well as GIS and statisticalprogram applications, field equipment use, and lab work. Theparticipantswereexposedto thenationalparksystemof India,auniversityprogramspecializinginwildlifemanagement,anduptodateresearchmethodologiesforstudyingwildlife.AtthetimetheProtected Area Department at MAIL was preparing to create anationalnetworkofprotectedareasfromWakhantoBand‐i‐Amir,but lacked knowledge of management or international bestpractices. The training included both practical and theoreticalcomponents.Anidenticalpre‐andpost‐trainingexaminationwasgiventoallparticipants.Thetestwasre‐administeredinthefallof2008,approximatelytwoyearsafterthetraining(Table5).

Table 5. Results of pre and post‐training test administered to protected area and wildlife management training course

TITLE PRE‐TEST (NOV 2006)

POST‐TEST (NOV 2006)

RE‐TEST (OCT 2008)

Director,DepartmentofParksandWildlifeManagement,MAIL

48% 80% 68%WildlifeMonitoringOfficer‐1,MAIL 28% 76% 68%WildlifeMonitoringOfficer‐2,MAIL 44% 72% 56%PlantProtectionOfficer,MAIL 16% 56% ‐WCSResearchAssistant 52% 88% ‐WCSResearchAssistant 16% 60% ‐WCSResearchAssistant 16% 52% ‐

PROTECTEDAREAMANAGEMENTTRAININGTOPICSUMMARY1

• Band‐i‐AmirPAmgmtandEnvironmentAct

• FieldTraining–CommunityinvolvementindevelopmentofBand‐i‐AmirandAjarValleyPAs

• Protectedareaplanning,enforcementandmgmt

• Participatorycommunityprotectedareamgmt.

• RangertrainingforBigPamirandBand‐i‐Amirrangers

• Rangerfirstaidtraining

1FullDetailsareinAppendixH

14

In addition to the three staff from the Protected Area Dept. atMAIL, an official who is in the PlantProtection Dept. and who also joined WCS bird survey teams in Wakhan in the summer of 2006attended,aswellasthreeWCSresearchassistantswhowererecentgraduatesofKabulUniversity.TheretestwasnotadministeredtothislattergroupinOctober2008.Thetestwasa25‐questionmultiple‐choiceexamthataskedaboutfieldtechniques,experimentaldesign,equipmentuseandconservationprinciples.Theparticipantssignificantlyimprovedtheircomprehensionofthesubjectsafterthetraining.Participantsdemonstratedan improvement in knowledgeof conservation topicsbeforeandafter thetraining,andaftertwoyearshadanaverage85%retentioncomparedtoposttestresults.

Inspring2007,onewardenandfourrangerswerehiredfromthelocalcommunitytoworkattherangerstationinBand‐i‐Amir.Theyaresecondaryschooleducated,literate,Dari‐speakingmenwithfirsthandagricultural experience. As Band‐i‐Amir is the first national park in Afghanistan, none had priorexperience in protected area management, nor law enforcement, wildlife monitoring, conservationeducation or ecotourism. According to the CollaborativeManagement Agreement andmanagementplan, the warden (and his staff), are responsible for enforcement of the rules as laid out in themanagement plan, for auditing community conservation funds, for proper management of naturalresourcesinconsultationwithcommunitymembers,foreducatingthegeneralpublicabouttherulesoftheparkandthevalueoftheresources,andformonitoringtheparkconditionandmaintainingfacilities.Toensurepropermanagementofthenationalparkfortheconservationandrestorationofbiodiversity,WCS has invested significant staff and financial resources in training the rangers and warden, andprovincialMAILstaff.

Ranger training for BANP staff, including local police and intelligence officials, was conducted inNovember 2008 at the Ministry of Agriculture offices in Kabul to develop knowledge in wildlifeconservationprinciplesandlaws,andskillsinfieldcraft,practicaltechniquesforapplyingenvironmentallaws,andfirstaid.Inaddition,theaimwasalsotoimprovetheunderstandingofthepurposeofcreatinganationalparkandtheroleoftherangersinitsmanagementandtoestablishbettercoordinationandcommunication between the rangers, central and provincial Ministry of Agriculture offices, and thesecurityofficialsstationedatBand‐i‐Amir.ThistrainingwasfirstformaltrainingengagementwithBand‐i‐Amirsecurityofficialswhoareacrucialelementinhelpingtoenforcenationalparkrulessuchasabanon shrub collecting and Afghan national laws such as a ban on hunting and dynamite fishing. Theinstruction was primarily classroom based with a visit to Khol‐i‐Hashmat Khan wetland in Kabul topracticemapreading,andGPSandbinocularuse.AttendeesoftherangertrainingareinAppendixC.Eighty‐fourspeciesofbirdshavebeenrecordedatBand‐i‐Amir(MAIL2009)andEvans(1994)listsBand‐i‐Amir as one of the internationally Important Bird Areas (IBAs) of theMiddle East. Prior to rangertraining,WCStrainedtherangersandwardeninuseofbirdingequipmentsuchasbinocularsandfieldguides during a two‐day training inOctober 2007. Around this time, the rangers attended a two‐dayworkshopprior to the firstBand‐i‐AmirProtectedAreaCommittee (BAPAC)meeting that covered themanagementplan,theEnvironmentLaw,presidentialdecrees,andthe importanceofprotectedareasforbiodiversityconservation.

Totestthelevelofgeneralconservationknowledgeofthenationalparkstaff,a17‐questiontestwith22possiblepointswasadministeredinNovember2007.Thetestcoveredtopicsinfieldcraft,Afghanistanconservation policy and management, and wildlife sciences. The BANP warden, and three of fourrangerstookthewrittentest inDari language. Themedianscorewas61%,witharangebetween4%and75%. Of those that took the test, twoareno longeremployedas rangers,and twonewrangerswerehiredinspring2009. GiventhefluidnatureofrangerpositionsatBANPadequatepreandpost‐testinghasprovendifficult.

15

The Director of the Agriculture Department in Bamyan Province, along with other governmentparticipants(AppendixI),attendedaninternationaltrainingprograminCambodiainApril2007.Therehe witnessed firsthand the successful implementation and management of a protected area rich inwildlifeandinharmonywithlocalcommunities.HelearnedhowGISisusedinparkmanagement,theimplementationoflawenforcementthatistransparentandfair,communityplanningandinvolvementin parkmanagement and the zonation of protected areas and rules for use in each area. The post‐trainingevaluationtoassessparticipantknowledgeagainsttrainingobjectiveswasanonymous,andtheaverage score of six participantswas 10.8 out of 13 points,with a range between 7 and 13 correct.Evaluationpapers askedabout the least useful andmostuseful part of the training. The answers tothesequestionsindicatedthatthegroupfoundthetrainingapplicableandenjoyable. Fiftypercentofthegrouprespondedthatalotoftheinformationfromthetrainingwouldbeusefulintheirfuture,50%saidsomeof itwouldbeuseful. The results indicate that theBamyanDirectorof theDepartmentofAgriculture foundat leastsomeof the informationusefulandthathehadsomeknowledgeregardingprotectedareamanagement. InthetimesincethetrainingreportsandobservationsoftheDirector’sactionsmakesitclearthathehasnotappliedtheknowledgegainedfromthestudytoursincereturningtohispostinthegovernment,particularlywithregardtotransparencyandlawenforcement.

TheBANPrangershavesignificantlyincreasedtheirskillsandknowledgeofprotectedareamanagementasaresultofWCStraining.ObstaclesthatcannotbeaddressedthroughtrainingaloneposehurdlestothestableandsuccessfuloperationofBANP.Significantinvestmentshavealsobeenmaderecentlytotrain24volunteer rangers in theWakhan tomonitorandpatrol theBigPamir region. ThisgroupofrangerswillcontributetothemanagementoftheproposedBigPamirProtectedArea.

6.3 LivestockandWildlifeHealth

Ruralcommunities inAfghanistandependdirectlyon livestockfortheirsurvival,anddisease isoneofthe greatest threats to this resource. The national government is not equipped to providemodernlivestock health care to remote regions of the country and private veterinary services are notwidespread. Diseases in livestock can easily cross species boundaries and negatively affect wildlifepopulations. To build awareness and understanding of the risk of disease spillover when domesticlivestock andwildlife live in close proximity, and tomitigate this threat,WCS has conducted trainingprogramsforgovernmentstaffandrurallivestockherders.

6.3.1 Paravet Training

TheWakhanCorridorandPamirregionhostsahumanpopulationofmorethan12,000andalivestockpopulation several times this amount. However, as of early 2007,therewasonlyonetrainedveterinarianintheLowerWakhanandhecould not service the entire region. WCS selected two individualsfrom the Wakhan to participate in the Dutch Committee forAfghanistan’s (DCA) 6‐month paravet training course. TheygraduatedonJanuary7,2008. PerWCSagreementwithDCA,WCShelped the paravets establish veterinary field units (VFU) byproviding furniture,medicine, signboards and technical equipment.Theparavetsarecollecting importantdataforWCSon incidenceoflivestock disease and providing veterinary care where there waspreviously none in their areas of Avgarch and Kand Khun of theWakhanValley.WCSwillslowlyphaseoutin‐kindsupportsotheparavetsmustchargefortheirservices

WILDLIFEHEALTHTRAININGTOPICSUMMARY1

• Wildbirdcapture,identificationandhandling

• Avianfluandwildbirds• Wildlifeimmobilizationandhandling• Paravettraining• FieldTraining–livestockvaccination,wildlifeandlivestockdiseaseandtreatment


16

tosustaintheirbusiness.ThesearethefirstVFUseastofKhandudandpaymentforveterinaryservicesisuncommon.ThisisachallengetheparavetsandWCSareworkingtoovercomethroughcommunityeducation. Each month the paravets provide WCS with reports regarding their disease treatments,depredation incidents in the area, observed contact betweenwildlife and livestock and any reportedwildlifehealthproblemsobserveddirectlyor learnedsecondhand. InMarch2009,paravets reportedthat theyare receiving somepayment for their services. TheWakhan isnotbased traditionallyonacasheconomyandcompensation is traditionallybasedonabartersystem.Theparavetsarereceivingoil,wool,anddriedyogurt(krut)inexchangefortheirservices.Thevaccines,suchasthatforFootandMouthDiseasehaveproventobetooexpensiveforcommunitymembersintheregion(35doses,$15USD),buttheparavetsreportedthattheyareabletomakemoneyfrommedicine.

6.3.2 Avian Influenza

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) contractedWCS to train its avian influenza emergencyresponsestaffinwildbirdidentification.WCSimplementedatrainingsplitintotwoseparateweeklongsessionstoFAOstaffandgovernmentpersonnelinordertocoincidewiththetimingofpre‐andpost‐breedingmigrationperiods inAfghanistan.During the twelve‐day training, theparticipants learned touse field equipment such as GPS, binoculars, spotting scopes and bird identification guides. Theylearnedaboutavianinfluenzasurveyingandmonitoring,sampling,handling,ecologyandidentificationofwildbirds, anddata collectionand recording techniques. Participantshandledwildbirds from theKabul Zoo and theKa Farushi birdmarket, they identifiedwild birds fromphotos and live specimensusingfieldguides(Ripley’sGuidetotheBirdsofSouthAsia,RasmussenandAnderton),theyconstructedspecieslistsfromobservationsatKhol‐i‐HashmatKhanwetlandinKabulandLakeQarghajustnorthofKabul,and learnedabout the riskofwildbirdsasasource forhighlypathogenicavian influenzavirus(AIV).

Participants were evaluated throughout the training to assess competencies in using GPS, spottingscope,binocularsandfieldguides.WCSimplementedasummativeevaluationafterboth6‐daytrainingsessions and continually assessed the participant’s skill attainment throughout the training. Everyparticipantwascompetentintheuseofbinoculars,spottingscopeandfieldguides,andcanusetheGPStomarkpoints.AftereachtrainingatestwasgiveninDaritoassesstheparticipant’sknowledgeofkeytraining goals (Table 6). Based on the evaluations, the participants are very competent in birdidentification as a result of the practical training. They excelled at both simple and difficult birdidentifications and developed these skills using both photos and field equipment. Amajority of theparticipantsunderstandbasictheoreticalandpracticalaspectsofAImonitoringandsurveillanceandtheriskfactorsofAIoutbreaksrelatedtopresenceofwildbirds.

Table 6. Results of Evaluation of Avian Influenza and Wild Bird Identification Trainings

QUESTIONS

PART ONE RESULTS (% CORRECT OF 22 RESPONDENTS)

PART TWO RESULTS (% CORRECT OF 24 RESPONDENTS)

______ismostcommoninwildbirdsandoccurrarelyinpoultry.(HighlyPathogenicAIVorLowPathogenicAIV)

86% ‐

_______israreinwildbirdsandisconsideredaprobleminthepoultryindustry.(HighlyPathogenicAIVorLowPathogenicAIV)

86% ‐

17

Nametheknownbirdspeciesthatarebothalpha2,3andalpha2,6‐linkagebetweensialicacidandgalactose.(Quail)

86% ‐

Ifyoufindthreedeadalpineswiftsinafield,wouldthisbeahighpriorityforinvestigationintoavianinfluenzaasacause?Why?

‐ 96%

IfyoufindthreedeadEurasianCootsnearKhol‐i‐HashmatKhan,wouldthisbeahighpriorityforinvestigationintoavianinfluenzaasacause?Why?

‐ 83%

IfyoufindthreedeadEurasianCoots,andonedeadMallardDuckinKhol‐i‐HashmatKhan,whatshouldyoudowhilewaitingforthelaboratoryresults?

‐ 58%

KillingwildbirdsisNOTalegitimatewaytodealwithavianinfluenza.Whynot?

82% 100%

BirdIdentificationfromfourpictures:IdentifyEnglishname,scientificname.Parttwoaskedtoidentifywhetherthespecieswasawaterbird,bridgespeciesorraptor.

95% 66%

In the first training 15 participantsworked for FAO, 6 for the Islamic Republic of theGovernment ofAfghanistanandone identifiedhimselfas ‘Other’. Thesecondhalfofthetrainingdrew7participantsfromtheGovernmentofAfghanistan,16fromFAO,andonepersonidentifiedhimselfas‘Other’. Theevaluationafterthesecondtrainingaskedthefrequencywithwhichparticipantshadusedbinoculars,GPS,fieldguides,handledwildbirdsortakensamplesfromwildbirdsinthepreviousfourmonthssincethe completion of the first half of the training. Themajority of the respondents had not used fieldequipment,handledawildbirdortakensamplesfromawildbird.DuetoafundinggapatFAO,manyoftheirstaffwereputoncontracthiatusduringtheperiodbetweenthetwotrainings. Inbothtrainingsgoals for learning technical aspects of avian influenza inwild birdswas achieved. At the end of thesecondtraining100%ofrespondentsunderstoodthatkillingwildbirdsisnotagoodwaytoaddressanavianinfluenzaoutbreakindomesticpoultryorhumans,whichwasanimprovementfromthe82%whoanswered this question correctly at the end of the first training. The bird identification of part twoshowsthatfewerparticipantsachievedcorrectanswerscomparedtothefirsttraining(Table6).Theseresultsaremisleading. Thesamepicturesofbirdswerenotused. Sinceparticipantshadmuchmoreexperienceby the time they reached theendof the second training,each setofphotos ranged frommoderate to verydifficult identification, includingdifferentiatingbetweenvarious sparrow, sandpiperandraptorspecies.Participantswerealsoscoredonwhethertheycouldidentifythespeciesasawaterbird,bridgespeciesorraptor.Thiswasnotaskedduringthefirstevaluation.

InadditiontotrainingonAIV,WCShasaccomplishedasignificantamountofcommunityoutreachandeducationaboutlivestockhealthandtherisktowildlife.Thishasbeenlittlequantifiedorevaluated,butshould not be overlooked in importance in generating goodwill among communitymembers atWCSprojectsites.

6.4 WildlifeTrade

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Now, as in the 1970s, fur trade in Kabul is ubiquitous and largely unregulated (Rodenburg 1977,personal observation). An importantmarket for the fur trade 30 years agowas theWestern tourist(Rodenburg 1977), and now, the market has evolved to respond to demand from the Westernexpatriateandmilitarycommunity.Everyfursoldincreasesdemandtoharvestanotherfromthewild.To reduce the demand for furs of CITES protected species,WCS targeted training efforts on the USmliitary.TheUSmilitaryhasbasesalloverthecountry,thelargestbeingBagramAirforceBasenorthofKabul.Mostbaseshostlocalmerchantsinaweeklybazaarsincesoldiersareunabletoleavethebasefor shopping excursions. The merchants (and their goods) are tightly controlled and subject toinspectionbymilitaryandcivilianofficialswhomanagesecurityoftheweeklymarkets. It ishighlyprofitable formerchants tohaveaccess to military markets because their customers have noopportunitytocomparisonshop.WCStrained12BagramAirforceBase customs officials to recognize and confiscate furs of felidspecies such as leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, and leopard catthathadbeenpurchasedbysoldiers.WCSalsotrained12Afghanfurmerchants and the6 civilianofficialswhomanage securityofthe weekly markets regarding which species were illegal topurchase and export from Afghanistan to CITES‐signatorycountries. Eachparticipantpassed thepost‐trainingevaluation torecognize the difference between furs of various threatened species. Follow‐up monitoring wasconductedtwoweeksafterthetrainingsatthemarketatBagramAirforceBase.Fursellerswereonlyselling domestic animal furs, unlike previous weeks, and could not be induced to sell the furs ofprotectedspecies,withonefursellerreporting,“Ican’t,Iwilllosemyspotinthemarket”.Becauseofthenearlyregular6‐monthturnoveratmilitarybases,trainingforcustomsofficialsandmarketsecurityofficersisongoing.

6.5 CommunityConservationRuralresidentsofAfghanistanaredirectlydependentonnaturalresourcesfortheirsurvivalandoftenlive in remote areas much outside the reach of the central government. Given their reliance onproductive landforagricultureandpasture,communitiessurroundingproposedprotectedareasareakey component in conservation efforts as their use of resourcesoften overlaps with the needs of wildlife. After conductingsocioeconomic surveys, WCS aimed to establish communityconservation committees to manage tourism, grazing anddevelopmentactivities,andimprovecommunityawarenessaboutthreats to natural resources through targeted educationcampaigns.Akeycomponentofcommunityconservationactivitiesistomakethelinkbetweenwildlifeandtourisminordertocreatean incentive for community members to accept conservationinterventionsandprotectwildlifepopulations.

6.5.1 Primary and Secondary School Education

WCSdevelopedpostersincoordinationwithAfghanConservationCorps,UNEPandtheMinistryofEducationforuseassupplementalmaterialinprimaryandsecondaryschoolstohelpteachabouttaxonomy,classification,ecology,animalreproduction,andadaptation.WCScoordinatedwithprovincialDepartmentsof

WILDLIFETRADETRAININGTOPICSUMMARY1

• KaFarushibirdidentificationandsalesmonitoring

• WildlifepeltidentificationandCITESandAfghanLawprotection

• WildlifetradeandAfghanistan’sEnvironmentalLaw

• CITESimplementation1FullDetailsareinAppendixH

COMMUNITYCONSERVATIONTRAININGTOPICSUMMARY1

• Introductiontowildlifeconservation,protectedareasandecotourism

• Methodsforconductingsocio‐economichouseholdsurveys

• Conservationeducationinschoolsandcommunities

• Ecotourismprinciples,managementandimplementation

• Hotelandrestaurantmanagement• Tourguiding• Introductiontoecology,conservationbiologyandwildlifeofAfghanistan

• Basic,intermediateandadvancedEnglish

• WildlifeconservationandAfghanistannationalK‐12curriculum

• Protectedareamanagementandgovernance


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EducationtotrainteachersanddistributeposterstoWCSfieldsitelocations.

6.5.1.1 BadakshanIn Badakshan in October‐December of 2008, four government officials from the Department ofEducationandtheBadakshanProvincialNEPAofficeweretrainedbyWCSstafftodeliverthepostersinBadakshanprovinceandtrainteachers intheirapplication intheclassroom. Theyvisited237schoolsandtrained1,560teachers.

In addition to poster distribution and teacher training described previously, WCS has set up anenvironmental educationprogramat six schools in the LowerandUpperWakhan. The intentof thisprogram is to demonstrate the collective impact the communities have by harvesting fuelwood andgrazing livestock, to build capacity in students and teachers for data collection and to work withstudentstopromoteconservationintheirrespectivecommunities.Fourteachersweretrainedateachschool,which thensetup teamsof students tocollectdata in theirvillages regarding timespentandtotalvolumeoffuelwoodcollected,wildlifeeventsandlivestocknumbersfortheirvillages. Studentsusedata sheets and skills of observation,measurement,mathand science to implement theproject.Eachschool’sdatawillbecollatedbyheadteacherswhowillworkwithstudentstoestimatethetotalfuelwood collected and livestock numbers for the area they inhabit in theWakhan. Schoolchildrenpresentedresultstothecommunityataneventinsummer2009.

6.5.1.2 Bamyan

Accordingtothegovernment’sCentralStatisticsOffice,thereare247schools inBamyanProvince. Ofthese173areprimaryschoolsand84aresecondaryschools.InthevicinityofBANPthereare2primaryschools and1 secondary school. Some students from theBand‐i‐Amir areamigrate to thedistrict orprovincialcentertoseekbettereducation(A.Alavi,pers.comm.). InMarch2008,WCStrainedsevenmembers of the Bamyan provincial National Environmental Protection Agency in how the wildlifeposters connected to themescovered in thenational curriculumandhow the teachers coulduse thepostersintheclassroom.NEPAstaffvisited193schoolstodeliverpostersandtrained1,449teachersinwildlifeecology.

6.5.1.3 NuristanPosterswerealsodistributedtoschoolsinNuristanProvince.WCSstaffvisited31schoolsandtrained

190 teachers primarily in theWant,Wama andWaygal districts. Follow up observation inBamyan, Nuristan and Badakshan provincesshould be conducted to determine if teachersare using thematerial in their classroom and ifthestudentshavelearnedanythingasaresult.

6.5.2 Community Outreach & Awareness

6.5.2.1 BadakshanProtection and conservation of wildlife inAfghanistan depends on community awarenessof the threats to natural resources andacceptance of the value of wildlife. WCS hasworked to reduce threats to wildlife in theWakhan and Pamir, such as overhunting,

Figure 5. Wakhi community members’ response when asked about the type of program WCS is implementing.

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overgrazing and fuelwoodextractionbyeducating communitymembers about the goals of theWCSproject through workshops, seminars and field training. From 2006 to 2009 WCS has educatedcommunitymembersdirectlyinschoolsandthroughtrainingprograms,andindirectlybyhiringguidesandcooks,stayinginpeople’shomes,andhavingmeetingswithcommunityleaders.TogaugegeneralcommunityawarenessaboutWCS,andthecommunities’perceptionsregardingthreatstoandvalueofwildlife,WCSconductedabriefcommunitymembersurveyinNovember2006andagaininDecember2008. Themethods for conducting the surveysweredifferent, so comparisonbetween the two timeperiodsmusttakeintoaccountthisdifference.Thequestionsaskedwerethesame.InNovember2006the WCS Community Conservation team organized a series of village level workshops in the UpperWakhantointroducetheWCSproject.WCSnotifiedthevillageleadersabouttheworkshopsandmen,womenandchildrenwere invitedtoattend. Priortothebeginningofeachworkshop,theassembledvillagemembers(max=134;min=5)wereaskedaseriesofsixquestions(AppendixK).TheCommunityConservationTeamrecordedallresponsesduringworkshopsin21villageswith1436totalparticipants(female=491;male=945).Despitethelargegroupsize,theresponseratetothequestionswaslowwithbetween18‐25responsesperquestion.Inthistypeofsettingitwaslikelyculturallyappropriateforthemale leadership to respond to questions. In December 2008 the same questions were asked toindividuals intheUpperWakhan,withoneadditiontoaskwhethertherespondenthadeverreceivedtraining fromWCS. To select the respondents,WCS staff asked village members to identify homeswhere male heads of household were present. As a lone male interviewer, it would be culturallyunacceptable to seek interviews with female community members. Sample size was lower thananticipatedbecauseofthedepartureofmanycommunitymembersfromseveralvillagesforafuneralceremony.Questionswereaskedto95individualintervieweesin22differentvillages.

In 2008, 37% of respondents had received some kind of training from WCS, either as a ranger, aguide/cook, or on field teams. InNovember 2006, 86%of respondents hadnot heardof theWildlifeConservation Society and of those who had, 96% did not know what type of program we wereimplementing. Of the people who knewWCS and the program, 100% correctly explained that theprogram “studieswildlife in the Pamirs”. When this questionwas asked in December 2008, 97% ofrespondentshadheardofWCS. Ninetyonepercentof those respondents respondedthat theyknewwhat type of programWCS was implementing in the region. Multiple answers were accepted thatrangedfromirrigation/canaldevelopmenttowildlifeconservation(Figure5).Thenextquestionaskedwhich species in theWakhan/Pamir were in danger of going extinct. In 2006, 48% of respondentsreplied ‘none’.Otherrespondents, indecreasingordergavewilddog,snow leopard, lynx,MarcoPolosheepandbearasanswers.Insomecases,thefacilitatoroftheworkshopspromptedresponsestothisquestionbyasking,“Whataboutwilddog/snowleopard,etc.” Thereliablepieceof informationfromthisquestionisthatalmosthalfoftherespondentsdidnotthinkanyspeciesintheWakhan/Pamirwereindangerofgoingextinct.Brownbear,MarcoPolosheep,andlynxareconsideredthreatenedbyHabibi(2003), it isestimatedthattherearelessthan200snowleopards inAfghanistan(Habib,pers.comm.)and ibexare considered rare (Habibi, 2003). If communitymemberswereawareof regionalwildlife,threats and conservation issues, we could anticipate the response to this question would be snowleopard. Whenthesamequestionwasaskedin2008,87%said‘none’,9%saidtheydidn’tknowand1%saidibex.Sincecameratrappingphotossetupbycommunityrangershavecapturedseveralsnowleopards in the Wakhan in spring 2009, WCS will be doing more education on snow leopardconservation, specifically in the coming year. Communitymemberswere also asked, “What are thebenefitstoyoufromwildanimals intheWakhan?”Theresponsesbetween2006and2008showedashiftinpeople’sknowledgeand/orperceptions(Figure6).The‘none’responseswentfromalmosthalfofrespondentstozerobetweenthetwoyears.Therewasamarkedincreaseintourismasapotentialbenefitfromwildlife.Thecategory‘EcologicalBenefit’includesresponsessuchaspollinationandpest

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control. Respondentswere also askedabout theeffects of overgrazingon theenvironment. In 2006responsesfellintothreegroups:None(22%),don’tknow(33%)andthatthelackoffoodhasaharmfuleffectondomesticanimals(44%). In2008responsesvariedwidely. Multipleanswerswereaccepted.Themajorityofrespondents(61%)restatedthequestionintheirresponsebysayingthatthepastureorrangelandwouldbecomedegraded.Fiftyonepercentrespondedbysayingthatwildlifewouldleaveorbeaffected,whichmaybetheresultofrespondent’sknowledgeoftheaffiliationoftheinterviewerandadesire toprovideapleasinganswer. Wateror soil erosionwasmentionedby49%of respondents.Twenty six percent mentioned a natural disaster as a potential outcome; this included floods, duststorms and tornadoes. Compared with 44% in 2006, 23% in 2008 mentioned that livestock die orbecomesickasaresultofovergrazing.ThesamplesizeforthissurveyisnotlargeenoughtoextrapolatetothelargerpopulationintheWakhan.Thelowliteracyratenecessitatedface‐to‐faceinterviewsand

timewas a limiting factor inreaching a large number ofindividuals.

6.5.2.2 NuristanInMay2008, in response torequests from Nuristanvillage leaders and a desireonbehalfofWCStoconductmore widespread outreachinthecommunity,WCShiredeight teachers in Archano(2), Arans, Hameshdesh,Islam Abad, Jamamesh,Apets, and Mondish villagesto conduct daily English andconservationcourses for theinterestedmembers of each

respected village. Teachers were selected based on performance on an English test and a series ofinterviewsimplementedatWCSoffice.TheteachersstartedthecoursesinJuly2008andinSeptember2008returnedtoKabulforfurthertrainingattheWCSoffice.The3‐daytrainingcoveredthedefinitionandimportanceofbiodiversity,includingdirectandindirectbenefits,activeteachingandmethodsthatcan be used to increase student understanding and retention, activities that use wildlife andconservationtoteachEnglishandapractical implementationoftrainingtopicsbyeachparticipant. InMarch2009 twoWCS staffmemberswere sentwithout forewarning tomonitor the English teachersandobservetheapplicationoftrainingtopicsintheclassroom.Forty‐sevengirlsand174boyscomprisethe student body of all eight classes. The average class size is 26 students. The average classobservationtimeforoneobserverwas80minutes(Table7).

Table 7. Nuristan English teacher class observation results (March 2009).

Teacher

Do students work in groups?

Do students make a presentation?

Does the teacher organize games, competition or debate?

Teacher discussed wildlife, forestry or conservation?

Amount time teacher speaking?

Amount time students speaking?

Amount of environmental information discussed in class?

Figure 6. Wakhi community member response regarding benefits from wildlife.

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Bothobserverremarksarerecorded. Averageoftwoobserverremarksonascalefrom1to5where5ishighand1islow.

#1 yes/no yes/no yes/yes yes/yes 3.5 3 4.5#2 yes/yes yes/no no/yes yes/yes 3.5 1.5 5#3 yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes 4 2.5 5#4 no/yes yes/no yes/yes yes/yes 4 1.5 2.5#5 yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes 4 1.5 4.5#6 yes/yes yes/yes no/yes no/yes 3.5 2 5#7 yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes 4 1.5 5#8 no/no yes/yes no/no yes/yes 3 2 3

ActiveteachingandlearningisarelativelynewconceptinAfghanistanwhereteachersandstudentsarefamiliar and experiencedwith traditional lecture‐based instructional techniques. Students retain verylittleinformationfromhearingandreadingthingsrelativetoothermethodsoflearning,suchaslookingatpictures,watchingademonstration,participatinginadiscussion,givingatalkorsimulatingtherealexperience. Active learningpromotes student involvement in the classroombydiscussing, reflecting,debating and presenting, among other activities, to improve retention and understanding of newinformation. WCS trained theeight teachers inNuristan inactive teaching techniques specifically forconservationtopics.Teacherswereobservedintheclassroom6monthsafterthetrainingtodeterminetheextenttowhichtheywereteachingconservationintheclassroomandusingnewtechniquestodoso.Onecharacteristicofan“activelearningclassroom”isoneinwhichstudentsaredoingmuchofthetalkingwhile the teacher facilitatesactivitiesordiscussions. Observersnotedona scale from1 to5,where 5 is high and 1 is low, the amount of time students and teachers were speaking during theobservationperiod. Duringall observationperiods the teachers’ spoke the same (n=3)ormore than(n=13) the students.We have no baseline assessment of teacher performance prior to the training.Based on my observations of the teacher’s comfort level while introducing these topics during thetraining, Ithink itcanberegardedasasuccessthatstudentsspokeduringtheclassperiodanditwasnot entirely lecture based. We can assume a certain degree of behavioral change on behalf of theteacherduetotheobserver’spresence.

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In addition to observingteachers, WCS staff randomlyselected three students fromeach classroom to interviewindependently (n=48). Thestudent interviews wereconducted in the local dialectof Nuristani and translatedinto English for the analysis.Students were asked if therewere any benefits to humansfromwildlife. The interviewerwas instructed to probe fordetailsifthestudentansweredyes. Students often listedseveralresponsesandallwerecollated(Figure7).Theresultsgenerally demonstrate topics

covered during the teachers’ training byWCS such as the direct and indirect benefits of biodiversityincluding pollination, seed dispersal, use of wildlife asmodels for biomedical research, plants as thebasisforseveralcommonpharmaceuticals,climateregulation,erosioncontrol,andmanyothers.Whenthestudentsays,“diseaseprevention”,inresponsetoaquestionabouthumanbenefitsfromwildlife,itisassumedtheyeithermeanmedicinalusesofplantsand/orwildlifeasmodelsforbiomedicalresearch.WCSmentionedecotourismasapotentialbenefit fromwildlifeconservation,albeitbriefly,duringthetraining. However,studentsmentionedtourismwithgreatfrequencyasabenefit fromwildlife inthesurveyresults.NuristanissituatedalongtheborderwithPakistanandtheroutetoNuristanhasbeennotedforinsurgentcheckpoints.Despitebeingapotentialibexandmarkhortrophyhuntinglocationinthe 1970s (Petocz 1977) and the setting for Eric Newby’s, A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush (1958),residentsofNuristantodayarenotlikelytoreceiveeconomicbenefitfromtourisminthenearfuture.Thus, it is important forconservation thatNuristan residents recognizeothervalues tobiodiversity intheprobableeventthattheyreceivenoimmediatebenefitfromtourism.

Nopretestofstudentswasconductedtodeterminetheirlevelofknowledgeregardingthesetopicspriorto the implementation of the course, but during the interviews several students responded to aquestion asking what they had learned about wildlife during their classes by indicating that theypreviouslyhadnoknowledgeofthesesubjects:

“Ihavelearnedmanythingsabouttheimportanceofwildlifeandtheirprotection.BeforeIdidnothavemuchinformationaboutwildlife,nowIhaveinformationaboutwildlifeandknowtheadvantagesoftheprotectionofwildlife.IhopemyvillagewillhelpwithWCSregardingwildlifeconservation.”‐StudentA

and;“Ihave learnedwildlifeconservationandenvironmentprotection. Before Iwasunawareof theiradvantages.MeanwhileIhavelearnedEnglishtoo.”‐StudentB

Evaluation of Nuristan and Wakhi community members involved in or familiar with WCS traininghighlightsuccessofWCSeffortsinimprovingawarenessandattitudestowardthevalueoflocalwildlife.Itisunknownhowthismayaffectcommunitymembers’actionsorbehavior–i.e.aretheylesslikelytohunt?Educatingcommunitymembersaboutconservationinawaytheyfindvaluable,suchasthroughEnglishclasses,facilitatesfuturenaturalresourceconservationefforts.

Figure 7. Nuristan students’ response when asked the benefits to humans from wildlife.

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6.5.3 Ecotourism

Onemethodofachievingconservation istocreatean incentiveforcommunitiestoprotectwildlifebylinking wildlife with tourism in protected area sites (Figure 8). In the short term, participants wereexpected to learn new and bettermethods for serving tourists, so that in themedium term touristswouldhaveamoresatisfyingvisittotheareaandpotentiallyreturnorrecommendtheirexperiencetoothers.Overthelongterm,anincreaseinvisitorsshouldleadtoanincreasedeconomicbenefittolocalcommunitymemberslivingaroundprotectedareasites(Figure8).

Figure 8. Logical model demonstrating purpose of tourism training in Afghanistan.

6.5.3.1 Bamyan

Band‐i‐Amirisofhistorical,culturalandreligioussignificancefortheAfghanpeople.AsianDevelopmentBank’sTechnicalAssistanceStudyTeamestimates thatabout30,000to40,000domestic tourists,and1,000 to 1,500 foreigners visit the six lakes of Band‐i‐Amir per year (Anonymous 2005). Communitymembershaveahistory,beforethewar,ofgenerating incomethroughhotelandrestaurantservices,guiding, horseback riding and other tourism enterprises. By international tourism standards, theservicesarenotconsideredadequate,thusWCSaimedtoincreasethequantityandqualityofservicesofferedbylocalcommunitymemberstotouristsvisitingtheBand‐i‐Amirregion,specifically,hotelandrestaurantmanagementandtourguiding.Negativepressandreportsofnegativeexperiencescanhavea detrimental impact in tourist recruitment (Lexow 2004). As recently as fall of 2007, news articleshighlightedthelackoftoiletsandadequatefacilitiesinBand‐i‐Amir(Haviland2007).Forasectorthatisalreadyplaguedbyreportsofterrorism,Talibananddesperatepoverty,thesereports,whilesometimesaccurate, canbe very detrimental. To improve the quantity andquality of services offered in BANP,WCSprovidedtwotrainings:Hotel&RestaurantManagementandTouristGuidetrainingforcommunitymembers aroundBand‐i‐Amir. There is a perception that food is sometimes not available, andmanyvisitorscomeselfsufficientwithsupplies, thereby leavingalmostnorevenue in thearea (Anonymous

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2005). InconversationswithGreatGameandAfghanLogistics,theonlytwoprivatetouroperators inthecountry,WCS learnedthat thesecompaniesarespendingnomoney in thebusinessesaroundthelakes of Band‐i‐Amir because they do not want to take the risk of their clients becoming sick fromcontaminatedfoodordrink. TheirtourgroupsmakedaytripstoBand‐i‐Amir,packallnecessaryfoodanddrink,andreturntoBamyanCityforlodging(JonathanBean,VP,GreatGame,pers.comm.).

HotelandRestaurantManagementTraining

InApril2008,WCSinvited10currentand15potential1hotelandrestaurantownerstoKabultoimproveparticipants’ knowledge of international tourism standards, health, sanitation, businessmanagementand the diversity of services touristsmight expectwhen visiting the region. In addition, the trainingaimedtocreatea linkbetweenbusinessowners in thecommunityandprivatetouroperators. GreatGame and Afghan Logistics attended the training and explained their companies’ expectationswhentraveling in remote regions of Afghanistan with international tourists. In addition, management,financing,signage,fairpricing,communicationsandsecuritywerecoveredduringvisitstothefive‐starHotelSerenaincentralKabulaswellastheSafiLandmarkHotel,Sufi,ShandeezandPerfectrestaurants.

Participants answered questions prior to starting the training to assess their level of knowledgeregardingtopicsrelatedtohealthandtourism.Thesamequestionswereaskedafterthe5‐daytrainingwascomplete(Table8).

Table 8. Hotel and Restaurant Management Training Evaluation Results.

QUESTION

(Questions 1‐4 are True/False)

PRE‐TEST % correct responses (n=26)

POST‐TEST % correct responses (n=25)

1 Raw(uncooked)meatcontainsharmfulbacteriaforhumans. 85% 84%

2 Fliescarrygermsthatcanmakepeoplesick. 77% 100%

3 Acookmustalwayswashhishandsbeforepreparingfood. 77% 100%

4 Ifuncleanwaterisboiled,harmfulgermsandbacteriawillbekilled.

54% 88%

5 WhatisthefunctionoftheBand‐i‐AmirProtectedAreaCommittee?

73% 80%

6 WhydotouristscometoBand‐i‐Amir?(Totalnumbermentioningwildlife/naturalbeauty)

54% 64%

Thepost‐trainingevaluationalsoaskedwhichpartsofthetrainingwereuseful.Almosthalfofthegroupreported that all of the parts were useful. Twenty eight percent said the hotel visits were useful.Sixteenpercentsaidtheportionabouthygieneandsanitationwasthemosthelpful.Twenty‐twoof26participants reported that therewerenopartsof the training thatwereuseless. Basedon thepost‐

1Thebazaarwasdismantledinwinterof2007inanticipationofanewlylocatedbazaarthatwouldprovidegreaterbenefitbyallowingmorecommunitymemberstoopenabusinessandnotdegradethefragiletravertinedam.TheavailablespacesinthenewbazaarhadnotyetbeenallocatedtothecommunitiesinMayof2008.WCSrequestedcommunitiestosendpeopletothetrainingwhowouldbe“likely”tobeinvolvedinthetourismbusinesses.

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evaluation participants appear pleased with the relevance and format of the training. They wererequestedtoputtheirnamesontheevaluationsothismayhavebiasedtheirresponses.Therewasanincrease inknowledge forallquestionswhenevaluatedasagroup,exceptoneaskingwhether itwastrueor false that rawmeat containsharmfulbacteria forhumans. In thepre‐training test22peopleansweredthequestioncorrectly,4didnotprovidearesponse. Inthepost‐testtwopeopleansweredthisquestionincorrectlyandtwodidnotprovidearesponse. Asaresultofthetraining,morepeoplehaveknowledgeaboutfliesasavectorforharmfulbacteria,abouthand‐washingandwaterboilingtoprevent the spreadofbacteria, about the roleof theBAPAC in thenationalparkand the connectionbetweenBand‐i‐Amir’snaturalbeautyandtourism.

ThehighseasonfortourisminBand‐i‐AmiroccursfromMay‐September.Duetothedestructionoftheold bazaar and the delayed allocation of permits for space in the new bazaar, very few hotel andrestaurant owners were able to run their business in the 2008 tourist season, which immediatelyfollowed the training. InDecember 2008,WCS staff visited Band‐i‐Amir and conducted face‐to‐faceinterviews in Dari with 23 of the 25 participants from the training; in July 2009 WCS staff againconductedthesameinterviewwithallhotelandrestaurantowners(n=8),3ofwhomhadattendedWCStraining.Ofthe23participantswhowereinterviewedandwhoattendedthetraining,eightwereabletoconstruct a provisional business in the temporary bazaar in 2008 (Figure 9). They reported that themajority of their customers for the most recent season were Afghan citizens and when asked bymultiple‐choice the total number ofAfghan visitors for food/tea at theirbusiness establishment from June –December 2008, five reported morethan 50 (three gave no response).Amongst the eight surveyed about thetotal number of international visitorswho came for food or tea from June‐December 2008, six responded and theaverage total number of internationalvisitors was five. Questions were alsoasked about the total number ofinternational and Afghan overnightguests. Five of the eight businessownersofferedlodging.Allreportedthetotal number of Afghan guests asmorethan 50 when given a multiple choice,and offered total numbers of 500, 600and 1000 in some cases. The averagetotalnumberofinternationalovernightguestswas2.6.Noneoftherespondentshadknowinglyhostedagroup fromGreatGameorAfghanLogistics. Becausewinterhadarrivedandthetemporarybazaarwas almost completely dismantled, the evaluator was not able to observe the management of thebusinessintermsofsignage,transparentpricing,sanitation,orothertopicscoveredduringthetraining.Ofthe14peoplewhodidnothaveabusiness inthetemporarybazaar, twelvehavebeenallocatedaspaceandareatleasthalfwayormorethanhalfwaycompletedwithconstruction.Thepermanent,newbazaarwascompletedintimefortheonsetofthe2009touristseason.Approximatelymidwaythroughthe 2009 season WCS staff revisited the bazaar to conduct the interview again with the hotel andrestaurant owners who were present. Of those that were trained by WCS, the business ownersreported slightly higher profits at themidway point of the 2009 season compared to the end of the

Figure 9. Temporary structures in the new bazaar location in BANP. (Photo credit: Chris Shank)

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previous year. Of eight respondents, none reported visits from Great Game Tour Company. OnerespondentwhohadnotbeentrainedbyWCSreportedthatAfghanLogisticsTourCompanyhadvisitedhisbusiness. During the interview,WCSstaffobserveddirectly the implementationof training topicssuchashealthandsanitation,marketing,andtransparency.ThosewhohadbeentrainedbyWCS(n=3)weremorelikelytohavebettersanitationequipment,suchashandsoap,napkinsandcleaningsupplies.Almost all respondents had fresh water on the premises and receptacles for garbage. In terms ofmarketingandpromotion,thereappearedtobenodifferencebetweenWCStraineesandothers(n=5).Allbusinesseshadexteriorsignage,butnonehadmenus,transparentpricing,orbrochures.2009wasauniqueyearbecausethenationalparkwaslegallydeclaredbyNEPA,leadingtoalargepubliceventwithseveraldomesticandinternationaldignitariesandsubstantialmediacoverage.

TouristGuideTraining

WCS implemented tourist guide training for participants from 10 villages surrounding BANP. Theparticipantswere selectedby the respectiveBAPACmembers after being given a set of criteria fromWCS that included English speaking skills, previous experiencewith tourists, awillingness towork intourism in Band‐i‐Amir, and personality traits of being outgoing, motivated and personable. MobinJamshady,part‐ownerofAfghanLogisticsTourCompany,implementedthetraining.Mr.JamshadyhasguidedscoresofinternationaltourgroupsalloverAfghanistan,includingBand‐i‐Amir.Thegoalsofthetrainingweretoincreaseeconomicbenefitsfromtourismforlocalcommunitymembers,establishlinksbetween local communities, internationalNGOsandprivate touroperators and increaseparticipants’confidence, knowledge, skills and motivation to engage with foreign tourists in BANP. Of the tenparticipantswhoattended,atleastfivehadreportedworkingwithtouristspreviouslyandtwohadbasicEnglishskills.ItisnotcleariftheBAPACmemberscouldnotfindparticipantstofitthecriteriaorwerenotwillingtosendthosethatfitthecriteria.ThetrainingwasconductedinMay2008andanevaluationwas conducted immediatelybeforeandafter the training. Thequestionswereaskedverbally inDarilanguageandeachparticipantrecordedanswersonpaper.Thismethodwastime‐efficient,butdidnotallowforfollowupquestioning.Allparticipantsdemonstratedimprovedunderstandingoftheroleofatour guide and the reasons that people visit Band‐i‐Amir by providing more detailed, explicit andexplanatory responses to three evaluation questions (Appendix A). In the pre‐evaluation 38% ofrespondentsmentionedtheregion’s‘naturalbeauty’asareasonthattouristsvisitBand‐i‐Amir.Inthepost‐evaluation70%of respondentsnoted ‘naturalbeauty’ as anattraction to tourists. InDecember2008, WCS conducted a follow‐up face‐to‐face interview in Dari to determine the extent to whichparticipants made an effort to work with tourists during the months following the training. Of tenparticipants,sixwereavailableinDecember.Ofthesix,zerohadworkedasatourguideinthetouristseason. Zero had tried to approach tourist groups to solicit work as a guide. Various reasons wereprovidedfornotdoingso,and5of6participantsreportedthattheywerebusywithotherchoresduringthetouristseason.AllofthoseinterviewedintheDecember2008evaluationgenerateincomethroughfarming. Five of the six interviewed attempted to learn English since the training, either throughindependentstudyorclasses.A lackofEnglish languageskills toconfidentlyapproach internationalvisitorswas likelyacontributingfactor.Afghanvisitors,whocomprisethemajorityoftouristsatBand‐i‐Amirarereportedlynotlikelytospendmoneyforaguide. Makingstronger linksbetweenprivatetouroperatorsandlocalcommunitymembersmaybethebestprospectforensuringthatlocalcommunitymembersreceivebenefitthroughguiding.Unlikethehotelandrestaurantmanagementtraining,theparticipantsselectedforthetourismguidetrainingwerenotsuitable.TheestablishmentofatourismguideindustryoperatedbyandforthebenefitofBANP localcommunitymemberswillneedtobeaccompaniedby intensiveEnglishtraining.

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Forthetouristguidetraining,otherlimitations,presumablyeconomic,preventedtraineesfromriskingtime and agriculture opportunities for the unpredictable income from guiding tourists. For thisparticulartraining,greatercareshouldhavebeentakentoselecttraineesjointlywithBAPACmembersfrom respective communities. This additional front‐end time and money investment would haveimprovedthetrainingoutcomes.

6.5.3.2 Wakhan

TourismGuideandCookTraining

WCStrained25communitymembersinspring2007toaddressalackofqualifiedguidesorcookstoaccompanytouristgroupsintheWakhan/Pamir.ThebreathtakinglandscapeoftheWakhanregionissteepedinhistoricalandculturalsignificance.Itisknownasthe‘RoofoftheWorld’andhostsanassemblageofwildlifefoundinfewotherplaces.However,facilitiesareprimitiveandtourismisanascentindustrythatcompeteswiththemoredevelopedTajiksideofthePamirs.Trainingin2007includedtopicsinconservationawareness,introductiontothetouristindustry,equipmentuse,planning,sanitation,firstaidandEnglish.ManyofthosetrainedwerehiredintheensuingfieldseasonbyWCSresearchteamsandWCSinternationalresearcherswereaskedtoratetheskillsoftheguidesandcooksonascalefrom1(poor)to5(good).TheresultsareinTable9.(fromO’Neill2007).

Table 9. Wakhan Guide and Cook Feedback Form Summary

TREK GUIDES’ SKILLS RANK (n=1)

TREK COOKS’ SKILLS RANK (n=2)

Familiaritywithroute 3.0 FoodPreparation 3.3ManagementSkills 2.0 FoodManagement 3.5CommunicationSkills 1.7 Hygiene 2.3OrganizationSkills 1.0 UseofKitchenEquipment 4.0Guides’AverageScore 1.9 Cooks’AverageScore 3.3

Thescoresfortheguidesarequitelowsofurthertrainingisneeded,especiallyinEnglishlanguage.Thescores for thecooksareaverage. Allof the respondents indicated that theywouldbewilling tohiretheirguidesandcooksagaindespitethelowrankings.

Three high‐performing trainees were recommended to Great Game Travel and two worked as paidinternsduring thesummerof2007 (O’Neill2007). TheCommunityConservationTeamconductedanearningssurveyafterthetraineeshadanopportunitytoemploytheirnewskillsforonetouristseason(2007).Of25personstrained,6werehiredtoworkinthe2007season.Those6traineesmade11totaltrips,whichwerealmostevenlysplitbetweenWCSresearchteams(6)andtheprivatesector(5).AlackofEnglishskillspreventedmosttraineesfromfindingemploymentasaguide.Outof11trips,traineeswerehiredtocookfor10tripsandguideforone.Theaverageamountearnedperhiredtraineein2007was$286USD(14,300Afghani)andtheaveragenumberofdaysworkedwas29.Priortothetraining,noneofthetraineeswerereceivingincomefromtourism.Asaresultofthetraining,thosehiredwereablebuynewclothes,foodorbuildexpansionstotheirhome(O’Neill2007).

We have seen an increase in knowledge and skills with regard to providing tourism services in bothWakhan andBand‐i‐Amir. How the trainingparticipants put this knowledge touse andwhether thisleadstoanincreaseineconomicbenefitandthus,favorableattitudestowardsconservationmeasures

29

willneedtobecloselymonitored. Tourismisnot likelytodeliverbenefitstoallcommunitymembersequitably, nor meet community members’ expectations in terms of economic benefit so it will beimportant todiscuss anddemonstratebenefits to conservingbiodiversityoutsideof thoseofferedbytourism,andtocontinueworkingwithcommunitymemberstoensurethataportionofbenefitsfromtourismarereinvestedincommunitydevelopment.

6.6 Policy&GovernanceUNEPistheleadinginternationalgroupfocusedonenvironmentalpolicyinthecountry.InpartnershipwithNEPAandtheMinistryofJusticetheyhelpedestablishtheEnvironmentLawandhaveworkedonseveral other pieces of environmental legislation. Given Afghanistan’s history and the diminishinginfluence of national government with increasing distance from the capital, most laws containrecognitionofcommunityrightstomanagenaturalresources.Beforealawispasseditmustbeclearedthroughbothhousesof theNationalAssembly (Meshrano JirgaandWolesi Jirga). TheCommitteeonNatural ResourceManagement of theWolesi Jirga plays an important role in passing environmentallegislation.

Afghanistan lacks adequate conservation legislation, policy, andmanagementatboth thenational and local levels.At its inception,theWCSprogramaimedtoreviewrelevantnational,provincial,andlocal policies and legislation necessary to protect and conservebiodiversityandworkwith theGovernmentofAfghanistan todraftandapprovesuchpoliciesandlegislation.Thelegalframeworkundercreation by the Afghan government enhances the ability of localcommunities to manage and protect their local resources, butcapacityneedstobestrengthenedatalllevelstoimplementthelaw(Wingard2007).

6.6.1 Band‐i‐Amir Protected Area Committee (BAPAC)

Thereare15villagesinthevicinityofBand‐i‐Amirwithacombinedpopulationofabout3,980people(MAIL2009).CommunitymemberselectedarepresentativefortheBand‐i‐AmirProtectedAreaCommittee(BAPAC)from13of15villages(Figure10).Inaddition,BAPACalsohasrepresentationfrom

POLICYTRAININGEVENTS1

• Afghanistan’sEnvironmentalLawandimplicationsforwildlifeconservation

• Protectedareagovernance• Financialmanagementandstakeholdercommunication


Figure 10. BAPAC representatives from 13 different communities at the BANP Ranger Station.

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fivedifferentprovincialgovernmentoffices.AccordingtotheCollaborativeManagementAgreementandthemanagementplanBAPAChastheresponsibilitytooverseeimplementationofthemanagementplan,collectandexpendfundsrelatedtothenationalpark,resolvecommunitydisputes,managevisitorservicesandinitiatealternativelivelihooddevelopmentforcommunities.TheGovernorofBamyanProvince,HabibaSorabi,chairsBAPAC.

BAPACwasorganizedinthethirdquarterof2007tomitigateexistingthreatsandincreaseopportunitiesfor effective conservation through better governance, enforcement and support for the rule of law.PriortothefirstmeetingofBAPACWCSheldatrainingforcommunitymembersontheEnvironmentActofAfghanistan,theconceptandpurposeofprotectedareas,thecontentsoftheBand‐i‐AmirNationalPark management plan, the benefits to declaring Band‐i‐Amir a national park and the role ofmanagementplansinprotectedareamanagement.

Since the firstmeeting inSeptember2007,BAPAChasheld13meetings. Theyhaveelectedofficials,passedby‐laws,facilitatedthedismantlingandrelocationofthebazaar,andadaptedandapprovedthemanagementplansotheparkcouldbelegallyprotected.InApril2009,incooperationwithAgaKhanDevelopment Network’s Program for Professional Development in Bamyan, all BAPAC membersparticipated in a weeklong training titled, “Communicating with Stakeholders”. Topics includedcommunicationtovariousaudiences,communicationstyles,facilitatingandchairingameeting,writinganagendaandtakingmeetingnotes,responsibilitiesofelectedofficials,andcommunicationfordonorsandgovernmentofficials.AnadditionalweeklongtrainingwasheldforasubsetofsixBAPACmembersonprojectmanagement,proposalwritingandfinancialmanagement. MonitoringofBAPACmembers’actions regarding reporting to their constituency, securing donor funds, facilitating meetings, andmanaging financeswillbenecessary todetermine theextent towhich these trainingshave improvedthemanagementofBANP.

6.6.2 Inter‐Ministerial Decision maker Conservation Training

Establishing and managing national parks takes cooperation and coordination between manygovernmentbodies,includingtheMAIL,NEPA,theMinistryofFinance,Parliament,MinistryofInterior,theirprovincialcounterpartsandmanyothers.Thetwomainimplementingagencies(MAILandNEPA)are challenged in managing protected areas by a lack of funding to properly equip and maintainprovincialofficesandadifficultpolicyenvironment fornatural resourcemanagementandprotection.WildlifeconservationinAfghanistanwillonlybesuccessfulinthelongtermiftheAfghangovernment,acrossallMinistries,valuesitsimportanceanddemonstrateswillingnesstoinvestinitsprotection.Tomovetowardthisgoal,WCSaimedtoincreasefavorabledecisionsinpolicyandfundingforconservationinAfghanistanbydemonstrating conservationbestpractices andbenefitsofprotectedareas tohigh‐levelgovernmentdecision‐makersatsitesinIndonesia(AppendixD). IntheshorttermWCSaimedtoimprove theknowledgeof governmentdecision‐makers regardingwildlife and conservationandhavethem demonstrate buy‐in by coordinating together on conservation issues. In the medium term,functional inter‐ministerialcoordinationshould improvecommunicationtoaddresspolicyhurdlesandfundingshortfalls.Inthelongterm,theAfghangovernmentshouldincreasefundingfromconservationandwrite,passandenactpolicythatprotectsnaturalresources(Figure11).Onestudytourcannotcutthroughthegovernmentmorassthatoftenpreventsfundingforconservation,butincombinationwithseveral other actions, it contributes to building a cadre of government officials who will championconservationintheirrespectiveministries.

31

Indonesia is anecologically dissimilarcountry, but facessimilar threats ofhabitat destruction,wildlife trade anddeforestation to thatof Afghanistan. TheWCS Indonesiaprogram, in closepartnership with theGovernment,implements programsto increaseenforcement,education andawareness of wildlifeconservation. Inaddition, they havehad success workingwithlocalcommunitiestomanageandprotecttheirnationalparks.InIndonesia,thestudytourgroupmetwiththecentralgovernmentinJakarta,visitedLampungProvinceonSumatrawhereWCSIndonesiahasbroughttogetherparkauthorities,localgovernment,localNGOsandcommunitygroupstoprotecttigers, elephants, and rhinos. Participants learned firsthand through demonstration about theimportanceofconservation,methods for lawenforcement,howtobuildconservationawarenessandeducation in schools and communities, provide benefits through ecotourism and the links betweenIslamandtheenvironment.OnthefinaldayofthestudytourWCSfacilitatedadiscussionabouthowwecantakewhatwehaveseenandlearnedtomoveconservationforwardinAfghanistan.Dr.Shahidi,Deputy Minister of Economy, discussed the importance of protected areas for Afghanistan. Henominated each participant of the study tour to be a focal point for conservation issues in theirrespective Ministry and placed responsibility on each person to explain the importance of naturalresourcemanagementtootherswithineachMinistry.AbdulGhaniGhurianiofMAILproposedthatthedelegationformaninter‐ministerialcoordinatingcommitteeonconservation.Thecommitteewouldbeofficially recognized by each Minister and approved by the President. The discussion ended with apromisetomeetagaininKabultodiscussactionsthedelegationcanadvocateineachMinistrythatwillhelpmoveconservationpolicy forward inAfghanistan. It ismy impressionthatpartof thereasontheparticipants were open to receiving these relatively new ideas was because of the common religionbetweenIndonesiaandAfghanistanandthewarmwelcomeandhospitalityaffordedtothembyeveryIndonesianhostwemetduringthestudytour.

ThestudytourtookplaceinAugust2007(Asad/Sambulah1386)andinFebruary2009aninterviewwasconductedwith each participant to determine the progress towards improved coordination betweenministries on conservation funding and policy. Nine participants attended the training and as ofFebruary2009sevenwerestill in thesameposition.First, intervieweeswereaskedgeneralquestionsrelatedtoconservationissuesinAfghanistan.Ofthesevenrespondents,fiveofficialsrespondedtothequestionnaireabouttheirgeneralconservationknowledge(AppendixE). Theaveragepercentcorrectout of 14 possible pointswas 81%. Respondentsmost commonlymissed thequestions aboutwhichspecies should be protected in Afghanistan because of low global population numbers. Four of five

Figure 11. Logical model of providing training to government decision makers

32

respondentsthoughttheredfox(Vulpesvulpes)shouldbeprotectedinAfghanistan,andthreeoffivethoughtthetigershouldbeprotectedinAfghanistan.

The second part of the interview asked about the formation and functioning of the CoordinatingCommitteeforWildlifeConservationandNaturalResourceManagementthatwasdiscussedonthefinaldayofthestudytourinIndonesia.SevenofthenineparticipantswhoarestillinKabulworkingfortheirrespectiveministriesparticipatedinthispartoftheinterview.ThecommitteewasformallyrecognizedandapprovedbyPresidentKarzaiinthefinalquarterof2007.ItwasreportedbyintervieweesthatthecommitteehasmetbetweenthreeandsixtimesfromitsinceptionuntilFebruary2009.Allparticipantsareattending themeetings,butparticipants relyonMAIL toorganizemeetings, facilitate theagendaanddiscussion,andwriteupmeetingnotes.Theparticipantsgenerallyagreeaboutthepurposeofthecommittee – to apply the things that were learned in Indonesia, to coordinate amongst the variousministriesonconservationissues,andthus,toexpeditegovernmentprocesses.Thusfar,thecommitteemeetings have discussed the proposed hotel development in Band‐i‐Amir, Khol‐i‐Hashmat Khanencroachment and potential solutions, protected area regulations and committee functions such assecretariatandaworkplan.Whenaskedwhatthecommitteehadaccomplished,avarietyofresponseswere put forward. Three of seven respondents reported that there had been no practicalimplementation. Two others noted that the committee was functioning well and had achievedpresidential recognition. WCS has observed proceedings at two meetings and acted in the role ofadvisor,butmeetingtimesandagendasareinitiatedbyMAIL.Giventhetimeconstraintsonhigh‐levelgovernmentofficials it is reasonabletoexpecttheparticipantstomeetonceevery fewmonths. Asanewly established committee, its role and function is becoming clarified and will need continuedmonitoring.

The third part of the interview focused directly on policy, funding and staffing for natural resourcemanagement amongst and between the various ministries and Parliament. Seven of the nineparticipants gave interviews. All participants were asked how many staff in their ministry work onnaturalresourcemanagementorhaveitincludedaspartoftheirjobdescription.Inaddition,theywereaskedwhetherthatnumberhadincreased,decreasedorremainedthesamecomparedtotheprevioustwoyears.NEPAandMAILreportedstaffingincreasesoverthelastyearandtheMinistryofEconomy,MinistryofJustice,Parliament,andMinistryofFinancereportedthesamelevelsofstaffingcomparedtolastyearandtwoyearsago.TheMinistryofInterior,whichisresponsibleforthepolice,reportedzerostaff dedicated to wildlife conservation or natural resourcemanagement, but commented that eachpolice officer is responsible for working with proper authorities in each district and province onenforcementissues.OutsideofMAILandNEPAtheaveragenumberofpeopleworkingontheseissuesamongstthementionedministriesis11.2,witharangebetween5and20.

One long‐termgoalof thestudy tour in Indonesiawas todemonstratebenefits frombiodiversityandprotectedareas to theparticipantsso theywouldsee thevalue inprotecting theseresources in theirown country, and thus support financing for the government agencies that are tasked with thisresponsibility.Amultitudeoffactorsinfluencefundingdecisions,ofwhichalackofawarenessregardingthevalueofbiodiversityamongsthigh‐leveldecisionmakers is justone.PoorlyfundedDepartmentofNatural ResourceManagement inMAIL and provincial offices limits the ability of the government tomonitorandprotectwildlifeandmanageprotectedareasinremoteregionsofAfghanistan.

WhenallocatingfundingtoeachMinistry,theMOFevaluateshowmuchisprovidedbydonorfunding(external),beforedecidingthecorebudget.AnotherconsiderationfortheMOFwhenallocatingbudgetsisfinancialadministration. OncetheMOFallocatesmoneytoeachMinistry,therespectiveministryisresponsibleforallocationtoeachdepartment.

33

Another intended long‐term goal of the study tour in Indonesia was an improved legislativeenvironmentforprotectionofnaturalresources.Aswithfunding,thereareseveraldirectandindirectfactorsthataffecttheoutcomeofthesedecisions.Thisrequireslongtermmonitoringtodetermineiftheparticipantsinvolvedinthetraining,andbyextension,thecommitteeworkingtogetherareabletoeffectuate improvement in thisarea. Prior toAugust2007, theprimary lawprotectingbiodiversity inAfghanistanwastheEnvironmentLaw,whichwaspassedinJanuary2006.Inaddition,twoPresidentialdecrees banning hunting and logging were in place. The hunting decree expired in March 2009.PresidentKarzaiissuedanewdecreeafewmonthslaterthatbannedtheuseofgeneratorstoharvestaquatic species. Other legislation is in theworks to protect biodiversity, such as the ProtectedAreaRegulations,Environmental ImpactAssessmentRegulations,ForestryLaw,and theMiningLaw. Sincethe study tour inAugust2007, theEnvironmental ImpactRegulationshavebeenpassed (SayedYusufHalim,Headof Taqnin, Interview:5March2009) anda compromisewas reachedwith theProtectedAreaRegulations,whichallowedBand‐i‐Amirtobedeclaredanationalpark.AlistofprotectedspecieswaspassedinJune2009toreplacethePresidentialDecreebanninghunting.

Asaresultofthestudytour,participantsdemonstratedthattheyvaluedconservationinAfghanistanbyformingan Inter‐MinisterialCoordinatingCommitteeonWildlifeConservation. It is toosoontotell ifthe participants and the committee are effective in advocating for conservation in their respectiveministries/parliament such that MAIL and NEPA are adequately funded and policies to protect andmanagenaturalresourcesarenotobstructed.Itisunreasonabletoassumethatabriefstudytourcouldovercome these immense challenges, but improved coordination and advocacy for conservation at ahighlevelhelpstoaccomplishthesegoals.

7 CONCLUSION At the inception of the WCS program in 2006, we aimed to update information about wildlife andrangelandconditionat5proposedprotectedareasitesinBamyan,BadakshanandNuristanProvinces,improve legislation and governance to protect biodiversity, and enhance communitymanagement ofnatural resources. Training is a crucial component in the work of WCS and the Government ofAfghanistan to accomplish these goals. However, without evaluating the content and format oftrainings,aswellastheparticipant’sreaction,knowledgeattainmentandresultingbehavioralchange,itis difficult to knowhoweffective traininghasbeen in achieving the expressed conservation goal andfuturedirectionsforcapacitydevelopment.

For many training activities, WCS has demonstrated improved knowledge or that the participant’sknowledgehasmet the trainingobjectives. It ismoredifficult tomeasurebehavioralchange,butwehaveseenmanysuccessessuchasthoseinreducingsalesofwildlifeproductsonmilitarybases,creatingAfghanistan’s first community managed national park, and providing services for tourists aroundprotected areas while increasing economic benefit to community members. Training requiresinvestment of often‐scarce conservation funding so it is crucial to understand which traininginvestmentshelpbuildcapacityofgovernmentinstitutionsandcommunitymemberstomanagenaturalresources.

Thoughnotmentionedexplicitly inthisreport,thecapacitybuildingofWCSstaffhasbuiltawareness,knowledge and skill that have dramatically increased our effectiveness conducting research andestablishing conservation interventions with communities and allowing continuity of activities in theabsenceofshortterminternationalexperts. WCScanboasttohavingtrainedoneofthebestAfghanbirdersinthecountry,oneofthestrongestconservationGISanalysts,vetswithuniquewildlifediseaseexpertiseandthefirstMastersleveltrainedMarcoPolosheepbiologist.Otherswehavetrainedhave

34

goneontoprovincialandnational‐levelpostsatMAIL,NEPA,professorshipsatUniversityofNangarhar,and other NGOs. These young people and others we have invested in are the future conservationleadersinthecountry.

Afghanistanischaracterizedbytumultuouschange,civilunrestandgovernmentinstability. Inthelastforty years, many Afghans have seen their land seized, their houses destroyed, their livelihoodsunraveled.However,ingeneralthecommitmenttoeducationhasbeenconsistent.DuringTalibanrule,many people surreptitiously educated young girls at risk to their own safety. The conviction thateducationholdsthekeytoamoreprosperousfuture isevidentthroughoutruralareasofAfghanistantoday. Where the majority of people depend on natural resources for their survival, providing theknowledgeofmethodstobettermanagetheseresourcesgivenpressuresofdevelopmentandeconomicgrowthissomethingthatwillbewelcomedandsustainedevenastheconflictcontinues.

35

Acknowledgements We thank the WCS headquarters at the Bronx Zoo for their support and guidance, specifically WillBanham,PeterZahler,ColinPoole,RoseKingandLisaYook.WethankthestaffofWildlifeConservationSociety‐AfghanistanprogramfortheirhelpimplementingtheTrainingandCapacityBuildingcomponentsince2006. Special thanks toQaisSahar forhispersistentefforts toarrange travel,permissions,andgovernment clearances. Also, Shafiq Nikzad, Zabihullah Ejlasi, Sweeta Momand, and InayatullahFarahmandfortheirassistanceinorganizing,translatingandadministeringtrainingprograms.Trainingis not possible without the experts working with WCS who have the passion and skill to teach.Therefore,wethankStephaneOstrowski,ChrisShank,DonBedunah,RichHarris,JohnWinnie,RaffaelAye and EtienneDelattre for their success in improving conservation knowledge in Afghanistan. Wethank the government officials of Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and NationalEnvironmental Protection Agency for working with WCS to achieve the mutually desired goal ofimprovedmanagementofnaturalresourcesinAfghanistan.Finally,wethankthevillagesofBand‐i‐AmirNationalPark,theLowerandUpperWakhan,BigandLittlePamir,andsouth‐centralNuristanprovinceforwelcomingWCSandallowingustobeguestsinyourcommunity.

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APPENDICES APPENDIX A. Tourism Guide Training Pre and Post‐Evaluation Results

Why do tourists come to Band‐i‐Amir? Person Pre‐ Evaluation Post‐Evaluation

1 Naturalbeauty Walking,riding,investment,toseedifferencesinculture,recreation,andtoknowhistoryofBand‐i‐Amir

2 Sightseeing,walking,entertainment Naturalbeautysuchascleanandpurewater,andforhorseridingandinvestment

3 Learningculture,customs,traditionsofthearea

Reduceworkpressureandgetawayfromcrowdedandnoisycitiestoacalmplacewherethereisnopollution.Band‐i‐Amirhasbeautifulbluewaterandthereisboating,mountainclimbingandhorseriding.

4 Toseeinterestingplaces Recreation,skiing,toseelocalcultureofpeople,likeweddingparties,andtoseethenaturalbeautyofthearea

5 Becauseitisanaturallyniceandcleanarea Band‐i‐Amirisanaturalandprotectedareaandithasacleanenvironment

6 Band‐i‐Amirhasbeautifulplaces RecreationbecauseBand‐i‐Amirhasagoodclimate7 Fortourism Walking,investment,ridingandtolearnaboutthe

differentculturesandthehistoryofBand‐i‐Amir8 Fortourism Theseguestscomebecauseitisanaturalplace.

Theycomeforinvestment,forwalking,forskiinginthewinter.Somecometoreduceworkpressure,someforhorseridingandotherstoseetheamazinglandscapeofBand‐i‐Amir

9 Notpresent ToseethebeautifulenvironmentandclimateofBand‐i‐Amir

10 Notpresent ForthebeautifulnatureandcultureofBand‐i‐Amir.What is the responsibility of a tourist guide?

1 Takingtouriststoplaces Totelltheownerofthehorsewhichdaywearegoinghorse‐riding.

2 Guidetouriststobeautifulplaces Taketouriststobeautifulareasandkeepthemsafeandcomfortable.Makesureifwehaveplanstoridehorsesthateverythingisreadyontime.

3 Guidetouriststonewplaces Shareinformationaboutcustoms,culture,geographyandhistoryofBand‐i‐Amir.Weshouldtelltouristsaboutthedifferentactivitiesforrecreationandweshouldarrangethose.Weshouldmakethemawareaboutlandminesandmuggers,whichmightbeinthearea.

4 Manageandguidetourists Ourjobistoguidethetourists.Whenwemeetthemweshouldshowouridentitycardandgivethemawarmwelcometothearea.Iftheywanthorsesweshouldarrangethoseforrentandtakecareofourtourists.

5 Showtouristsniceplacesandkeepthemsafeandtakecareofthem

Theguideshouldkeepthetouristsafefromthreatsandshowthemareastheyareinterestedin.Weshouldbecarefulofourreputationsotheyhaveagoodexperience

39

andleaveBand‐i‐Amirwithgoodhealthandalotofgoodmemories.WhentheyreturntotheircountriestheywilltellothertouriststhatBand‐i‐Amirisaplacethatcanbevisitedandhaslotsofgoodtouristguides.ThiswillbegoodforthedevelopmentofBand‐i‐Amir.

6 Noanswer ShowareasofBand‐i‐Amirtotourists7 Translation Ourdutyistoarrangeascheduleforthetouristsand

explainit.8 Guidethetourists Weshouldguidethetouristsinagoodwayandbe

disciplinedsothatthetouristswon’tgoaway.9 Notpresent Aguideshouldknowtheimportantpointsandbe

technical.10 Notpresent Aguideshouldkeepthetouristssafeandexplainthe

nature,cultureandhistoryofBand‐i‐Amir. Why do you want to work with tourists? 1 Itisourresponsibility BecauseIliketo.Itisformyfuturetohaveagood

income.2 Tohaveabetterrelationshipwith

touristsForthedevelopmentofourcountryandtohaveagoodincome.

3 TointroduceAfghanculture,customsandtraditionstopeoplefromallovertheworld

4 BecauseIamfamiliarwiththearea Ithasagoodaffectontheeconomyandwecanbecomefamiliarwithotherlanguages

5 Becausemanypeoplecometotheareaandwewillgetfamousanditwillhelpdeveloptheregion

BecauseIlovethispositionandithasabenefitformeandformyvillage.Touristshaveanimportantrolefordevelopmentofthisregion.

6 Noanswer Tohelpthepeople,tosharemyexperienceandtohaveagoodincome.

7 Tomaketouristsfamiliarwiththearea

Becauseitisagoodexperienceandagoodincome.

8 Tomaketouristsfamiliarwiththearea

Itisforourbenefit.Touristsshouldhaveagoodguidewhoknowstheareaandcanexplainthecultureandbeautifulplaces.

9 Notpresent Band‐i‐Amirispretty.TouristsareagoodeconomicsourcefortheAfghangovernment.

10 Notpresent Noanswer

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APPENDIX B. BANP Warden and Ranger Conservation Pre and Post‐Test Results*

NO. QUESTION TOTAL PARTICIPANTS ANSWERED CORRECTLY (OUT OF 4) IN NOV 2007

TOTAL PARTICIPANTS ANSWERED CORRECTLY (OUT OF 5) IN MAY 2009

1 Whichofthefollowingiscausedbyovergrazing?(choosealltheanswersthatarecorrect)a)Theplantcannotstorefoodinitsrootsforwinterandtosurvivedroughtb)Theplantcannotproduceenoughrootsc)Theplantcannotproduceenoughleavesd)Theplantreproducese)Theplantcannotsurvivewinter

4 5

2 Conservationofnaturalresourcesisimportantfor:a)Survivaloflifeonearthb)Sustainabledevelopmentc)Healthyenvironmentd)Alloftheabove

3 3

3 Smallpopulationfacestheproblemof:a)Inbreedingdepressionb)DiseaseSusceptibilityc)Lossofgeneticdiversityd)Alloftheabove

2 0

4 Wetlandsareconservedfor:a)Birdsb)Mammalsc)GeneralEcosystemd)Alloftheabove

1 2

5 Scatsareusedtomark:a)Territoriesb)RestingSitesc)DenningSitesd)Alloftheabove

2 0

6 BirdFlucanbetransmittedfrom:a)Wildbirdstodomesticbirdsb)Domesticbirdstohumansc)Humantohumand)Alloftheabovee)Bothaandb

2 1

7 GPSpointsshouldbetakenwhen:a)Youseeananimalinthewildb)Youarelayingoutatransectc)Youseeararebirdd)Alloftheabove

0 0

8 Currently,whatpercentoflandinAfghanistanisdesignatedasaprotectedarea?a)17%b)10%c)2%d)0%

2 1

9 Asrangersmanaginganationalpark,whattypesofinformationordatashouldyoukeeprecordsof?

3 3

10 WhatistheroleoftheMinistryofAgricultureasitrelatestonationalparks?

1 2

11 WhatistheroleoftheNationalEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(NEPA)asitrelatestonationalparks?

1 3

12 IsitlegaltohuntwildlifeinAfghanistan? 3 5

13 WhatcanbedonetoimprovethesoilconditioninareasaroundBANP? 3 4

14 Whyarebirdsimportantfortheenvironment? 3 4

15 Whatarethebenefitsofwetlands(chooseallthatapply)?a)Theyimprovewaterqualitybyremovingnutrients,pesticidesandbacteriafromsurfacewaterb)Theyhelpcontrolerosionandfloodingc)Theyareimportanthabitatforwildlifed)Therearenobenefitstowetlands

1 5

16 WhatanimaloftheBand‐i‐Amirhabitatmightleavethistrack?(Pictureofcanidtrack)

1 2

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17 WhatanimaloftheBand‐i‐Amirhabitatmightleavethistrack?(Pictureofungulatetrack)

1 3

*Onlytworangerstookboththepreandpost‐test.

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APPENDIX C. Attendees of Band‐i‐Amir Ranger Training

NAME POSITION LOCATION

MohammadTaher WardenBand‐i‐Amir Band‐i‐Amir

MohammadAshraf ForestryGeneralOfficer Bamyan

MohammedSharif HeadofNEPA Bamyan

AbdulGhafoor ManagerPropertyDept Bamyan

SayedMirza Ranger Band‐i‐Amir

SayedHassanAli Ranger Band‐i‐Amir

SayedZaher Ranger Band‐i‐Amir

Mohammad Ranger Band‐i‐Amir

AbdulWahed Ranger Khol‐i‐HashmatKhan

AbdulFarouq Ranger Khol‐i‐HashmatKhan

MohhammadAzim Ranger Khol‐i‐HashmatKhan

SayedMasum Ranger Khol‐i‐HashmatKhan

MohammadIbrahim YakawlangCID BamyanPoliceOffice

GulAhmad YakawlangCID BamyanPoliceOffice

Nematullah YakawlangNDS Yakawlang

SayedReza Band‐i‐AmirNDS Band‐i‐Amir

43

APPENDIX D. Participants for Study Tour to Indonesia

OFFICE TITLE NAME

MinistryofFinance BudgetMember ArifHussain

MinistryofAgriculture,IrrigationandLivestock

DirectorofPolicy&Planning AbdulGhaniGhuriani

Parliament NaturalResourcesCommittee Haji.SultanMohammadAworang

AfghanTouristOrganization PresidentAfghanTouristOrganization

FawziaAsifi

MinistryofEconomy DeputyMinister Dr.NazirAhmadShahidi

MinistryofJustice HeadofTaqnin SyedYosoufHalim

NationalEnvironmentalProtectionAgency

ExecutiveDeputyGeneralDirector

Eng.DadMohammadBaheer

MinistryofInterior ChiefofInternalCrimeInvestigationUnit

SardarAqaNasseri

MinistryofForeignAffairs DeputyofUnitedNationandInternationalConferencesDepartment

ShahabuddinSaqib

44

APPENDIX E. Test Of Conservation Knowledge For Indonesia Study Tour Participants

1.Currently,whatpercentoflandinAfghanistanisdesignatedasaprotectedarea?

a. 17% b. 10% c. 2% d. 0%

2.Whatisaprotectedarea?

3.WhatistheroleoftheMinistryofFinanceinbiodiversityconservationinAfghanistan?

4.IsitlegaltohuntwildlifeinAfghanistan? YES or NO

5.WhatarethebenefitstopeopleinAfghanistanfromitsplantandanimalresources?

6.WhichofthefollowingspeciesareinneedofspecialprotectioninAfghanistanbecauseoflowpopulationnumbersglobally(showpictures)?

a.SnowLeopard: YESorNOorDON’TKNOW

b.Markhor YESorNOorDON’TKNOW

c.RedFox YESorNOorDON’TKNOW

d.MarcoPolosheep YESorNOorDON’TKNOW

e.Tiger YESorNOorDON’TKNOW

f.SakerFalcon YESorNOorDON’TKNOW

7.WhatarethemajorthreatstothewildlifeofAfghanistan?

8.Whyshouldwetlandsbeconserved?

a.ForBirds b.ForMammals c.FortheGeneralEcosystem d. Alloftheabove

9.SnowleopardsliveintheWakhanregionofNortheastAfghanistan.Eachwintersnowleopardskillmoresheep,goatsandyaksthantheydoinotherpartsoftheyear.Whatmightbethepossiblereasonsthatthesnowleopardskillmorelivestockduringthewinter?

45

APPENDIX F. Training Agreement Template

Project Manager/Mentor:

Training Component:

Counterpart:

Counterpart Supervisor (if applicable):

Field training:

Date of Agreement:

*Note:Theseagreementsaremeanttoprovideaframeworkforplanningandevaluatingatrainingactivityforanindividualcounterpart.Theyprovideastructuredapproachtowardsconsideringtrainingneedsandfollowupactions,andforreachingagreementbetweentheprojectmanager,thecounterpartandthecounterpartsupervisor(ifapplicable)ontheexpectedinputsandoutcomes.Assuch,theseagreementsareintendedtobeworkingdocumentsthatarerevisedandupdatedasnecessaryandappropriate.Therewillthereforebemultipleversionsofeachagreement,atminimumaninitialandafinalversion,whichcanbetrackedbythedateofagreement.

1. Introduction: What are the component goals and how does the counterpart contribute?

Instructions:Theprojectmanager,thecounterpartandthecounterpartsupervisor(ifapplicable)shoulddiscussandbrieflyrecordbelowhowthecounterparttrainingfitswithinthebroadercontextofconservationinAfghanistan.Discusshowthiscomponentrelatestobiodiversity.Whatarethegoalsofthiscomponent?WhatarethekeyinstitutionsworkinginthisareainAfghanistan?WhatisthecurrentlevelofcapacityinAfghanistan?Whatrolewillthecounterparthaveafterthetrainingisfinished?

2. Training Needs Assessment: What are the training needs of the counterpart?

Instructions:Theprojectmanager,thecounterpartandthecounterpartsupervisor(ifapplicable)shouldidentifyandlistbelowthekeycompetencies(skillsandareasofknowledge)thatthecounterpartneedstodevelop.Listasmanycompetenciesasyouwish.Listthecompetenciesintermsof‘Theabilityto…’

1.Example:conductcommunitysurveys

Etc.asnecessary

3. Evaluating Learning: How has the counterpart’s ability improved?

Instructions:Thecounterpart’sprogressindevelopingeachofthecompetencieslistedaboveshouldbemeasuredona0‐10scale(describedbelow)andrecordedinthetableprovidedbelow.Thecounterpart’sstartinglevelofabilityforeachcompetencyshouldbeevaluatedandagreeduponbytheprojectmanager,thecounterpartandthecounterpartsupervisor(ifapplicable)ataninitialstage,perhapsafter1‐2weeksinthefield.Atthattime,allpartieswillalsoagreeuponatarget(expectedordesired)levelofabilityforeachofthecompetencies.Uponcompletionofthefieldseason,allpartieswillagreeontheachievedlevelofability.Ifthepartiesdisagree,differentscorescanberecorded.

46

NoAbility MinimumAbility IntermediateAbility AdvancedAbility Expert

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Noexperience,completelyunfamiliar

withthetask

Cannotcorrectlyperformtaskwithoutsupervision,mistakes

common

Performstaskindependently,but

requiressupervisiontodosocorrectly,makes

somemistakes

Hasperformedtaskindependentlyanumberoftimes,makesveryfew

mistakes

Couldinstructotherson

completionofthistask,cantroubleshoot

COMPETENCY

LEVEL OF ABILITY Initial

Target Final

1.Example:conductcommunitysurveys

2.Etc.asnecessary

4. Post‐Training Action Plan: How will the counterpart use their new competencies?

Instructions:Thedegreetowhichthecounterpartisabletoutilizethenewcompetenciesafterthetrainingshouldbemeasuredthroughthedevelopment,implementationandevaluationofanactionplan.UsingtheActionPlantablebelow,theprojectmanager,thecounterpartandthecounterpartsupervisor(ifapplicable)shouldsetascheduleforcompletionofspecificactivities,relatedtothecompetenciesdeveloped,thatthecounterpartcanputintoactionafterthetrainingperiod.Thetargetlevelofabilitytobedemonstratedbythecounterpart,usingthesame0‐10scaleasabove,shouldalsoberecordedforeachactivity.Activitiesshouldbechosenthatarea)importantactionsintheirownright,b)areanappropriatewaytodemonstratethatthecounterparthasachievedacertainlevelofabilityinagivencompetency,andc)aremeasurableinsomeway.Seetheexampleprovidedbelow.If applicable, it is critical that the supervisor also commits to supporting the counterpart in their implementation of the agreed action plan.Activitiescanbedesignedforeachseparatecompetencyoracombinationofcompetencies.

ACTION PLAN

ACTIVITY

(IncludingOutputandCompletionDate)

COMPETENCIES

# from above

TARGET ABILITY LEVEL

1.Example:conductcommunitysurveyandproducereportby20/02/07

1 7

2.Etc.asnecessary

Instructions:Aftertheagreedactivitiesarecomplete,oranagreedamountoftimehaspassed,thetablebelowshouldbecompleted.Thedeliverableoutputshouldbeconfirmedalongwiththeactualdateonwhichthiswasproduced.Theprojectmanager,thecounterpartandthecounterpartsupervisor(ifapplicable)shouldagree,usingthesame0‐10scaleasabove,ontheactuallevelofabilitydemonstratedbythecounterpart,asmeasuredthroughthedeliverableoutput.Onceagain,ifthepartieshaveadifferentopinion,differentscorescanberecorded.

Actual LEVEL OF ABILITY

47

LEVEL OF ABILITY ACTIVITY DELIVERABLE

CompletionDate Target Final

1.Example:reportoncommunitysurvey

20/02/07 7 82.

5. Agreed Inputs: What inputs will each party commit to providing?

Instructions:Thissectionprovidesaplacetorecordtheinputs(therolesandresponsibilities)thattheprojectmanager,thecounterpartandthecounterpartsupervisor(ifapplicable)agreetoprovidetoensurethatthetrainingandfollow‐upactionplanhavethebestchancetosucceed.

Project Manager’s Inputs: Whataretheprojectmanager’srolesandresponsibilities?

a)No.ofdaysoffieldinstruction: b)No.ofdaysofclassroominstruction: c)Frequencyofregularmeetings/communication: d)Modeofcommunication: e)Materials/equipmentprovidedtocompleteactivities: f)Otheretc:Counterpart Inputs: Whatarethecounterpart’srolesandresponsibilities?

a)No.ofdaysofparticipationinfieldinstruction: b)No.ofdaysofparticipationinclassroominstruction: c)Frequencyofregularmeetings/communication: d)Modeofcommunication: e)Materials/equipmentprovidedtocompleteactivities: f)Otheretc: Counterpart Supervisor Inputs: Whatarethecounterpartsupervisor’srolesandresponsibilities?

a)Agreementtoreleasecounterpartfromnormalduties: b)Agreementtosupportimplementationoftheactionplan: c)Frequencyofregularmeetings/communication: d)Modeofcommunication: e)Materials/equipmentprovidedtocompleteactivities: f)Otheretc:Ihaveread,understandandagreetoparticipateinthefulfillmentofthistrainingagreement:

<Name>,ProjectManager:

Date:

<Name>,Counterpart:

Date:

<Name>,CounterpartSupervisor:

Date:

48

APPENDIX H. All training workshops, seminars, study tours and field training by WCS from 2006‐09.

TOPIC (*=INTERNATIONAL) AUDIENCE (TOTAL NUMBER TRAINED IN PARENTHESES)

DATE DURATION

1 WildlifeImmobilization,HandlingandSampling

KabulCentralVetLab(4),KabulZoostaff(8),Other(9);(21)

Nov2006 4days

2 IntroductiontoBirding MAILstaff(17),FAO(3);(20) Nov2006 2hours

3 RangelandHealthManagementandConservation

BadakshanProvincialDepartmentofAgriculture(20),WakhanCommunityleaders(8);(28)

Jan2007 4days

4 BearResearchandManagementConference*

WaliModaqiq,UNEP(1) Nov2006 7days

5 ConservationBiologyandWildlifeMonitoring

MAILstaff(2),NEPAstaff(1),WCSResearchAssistants(5)

Aug2006 12days

6 WildlifeMonitoringandManagement*

ProtectedAreaDepartment‐MAIL;WCSResearchAssistants(7)

Dec2006 10days

7 RangelandConservationFieldTraining BadakshanProvincialDept.ofAgriculture(3),WCSResearchAssistants(1);(4)

Jul‐Aug2006

33days

8 LivestockandWildlifeHealthFieldTraining

KabulZooVet(1),WCSResearchAssistants(2);(3)

Jul‐Aug2006

16days

9 MammalSurveyFieldTraining NEPAKabulstaff(1),MAILstaff(1),WCSresearchassistants(2);(4)

Aug‐Sept2006

53days

10 BirdSurveyFieldTraining MAILstaff(1),WCSresearchassistants(2);(3)

Aug‐Sept2006

53days

11 MammalSurveyandProtectedAreaManagementFieldTraining

MAILstaff(1) Oct2006 18days

12 SmallMammalTrappingandIdentificationFieldTraining

MAILstaff(1),WCSResearchAssistants(2);(3)

Nov2006 14days

13 EnvironmentLawandProtectedAreaManagement

BAPAC(13)andBANPrangers(5);(18)

Sept2007 2days

14 TourismGuidingandCooking Wakhicommunitymembers 2007

49


DATE DURATION

15 Wakhan/PamirBirdIdentificationandEcology

Wakhantourguides(10) Oct2007 1day

16 HouseholdInterviewandDataCollectionTechniques

Nuristancommunitymembers(6)

June2007

10days

17 WildlifeTrade–FurIdentificationandCITES

BagramMilitaryBaseCustomsOfficials(12)

2007 4days


KabulAirportCustoms(8) 2007 4days


FurMerchants(12) Oct2007 1day

20 WildBirdIdentificationandAvianInfluenzaMonitoringandSurveillance

FAO(16),GovernmentofAfghanistan(7),Other(1),(24)

May2007;Oct2007

12days

21 IntroductiontoEnvironmentalLaw KabulUniversityFacultyofLawStudents(40)

July2007 1day

22 WildlifePopulationBiology NEPAKabulstaff(6),NEPAProvincialstaff(7),MAILstaff(4);(17)

Nov2007 3days

23 IntroductiontoGIS NEPAKabulstaff(8) Oct2007 4hours

24 ScientificMethodandResearchDesign

WCSResearchAssistants(8) Sept2007 4hours

25 ProtectedAreaPlanning,EnforcementandManagement*

NEPA,BamyanProvincialDept.ofAgriculture,WakhanCommunityLeaders,BadakshanProvincialDept.ofAgriculture(6)

Apr2007 8days

26 ConservationGIS* WCSGISOfficer(1) June2007

14days

27 Conference‐SocietyforConservationBiology*

KabulUniversity(2)andNangarharUniversityProfessors(1);(3)

July2007 8days

28 ConservationPolicy* Parliament,MAIL,MinistryofJustice,NEPA,MinistryofFinance,AfghanTouristOrganization,Ministryof

Aug2007 8days

50


DATE DURATION

ForeignAffairs,MinistryofInterior,MinistryofEconomy;(9)

29 MastersProgram–AligarhMuslimUniversity,WildlifeBiologyDepartment*

WCSResearchAssistant(1) Sept2009(completion)

2years

30 ConservationTrainingandCapacityBuilding*

WCSCommunityConservation,HazarajatProgramStaff(2)

Oct2007 5days

31 CommunityConservationandEcotourismManagement*

Wakhicommunityleaders(7) Oct2007 10days

32 SmallMammalAssessments Band‐i‐AmirCommunitymembers(2),WCSResearchAssistants(2);(4)

Oct2007 4days

33 Conference‐SnowLeopardMonitoringandConservation*

MAIL‐NaturalResourceManagementDepartment(2)

March2008

4days


KyrgyzCommunityLeaders(8) June2008

10days

35 ParavetTrainingCourse(DCA) WakhiCommunityMembers(2)

July2007(start)

6months

36 IntroductiontoConservationBiologyandAfghanistanWildlife

AfghanJournalists(40) Notavailable

4hours

37 HotelandRestaurantManagement BusinessOwnersinBand‐i‐Amir(26)

April2008

6days

38 TourismGuiding Band‐i‐AmirCommunityMembers(8)

May2008 4days

39 EnglishCourses KyrgyzCommunityLeaders(2) March2008

1month

40 EnglishCourses Band‐i‐AmirRangersandTeachers(8)

Dec2007(start)

1year

41 EnglishCourses MAILNRMDepartment(20) Nov2008(start)

5months

42 EnglishCourses NuristanCommunityMembers(150)

July2008(start)

1year

51


DATE DURATION

43 IntroductiontoEcologyandActiveLearning

BamyanNEPA(7) June2008

3days

44 IntroductiontoEcologyandActiveLearning

BadakshanNEPAandBadakshanDept.ofEducation(4)

October2008

2days

45 Wakhan/PamirBirdIdentificationandEcology

LittlePamirCommunityMembers(14)

June2008

1day


KyrgyzCommunityLeaders(6) June2008

8days

47 ProtectedAreaPolicy,ManagementandTourism*

Parliamentarian(1) June2008

5days

48 AvianInfluenzaandWildBirdMonitoringandHandling*

WCSResearchAssistants(2) July2008 7days

49 MarcoPoloSheepMonitoringFieldTraining

MAILWildlifeMonitoringOfficer,WCSResearchAssistant,WakhiCommunityMembers(4)

August2008

30days

50 MammalSurveyFieldTraining WakhiandKyrgyzCommunitymembers(3)

July2008 25days

51 BirdSurveyMethodologiesFieldTraining

WCSResearchAssistant(1) June2008

30days

52 CommunityConservationandProtectedAreaMgmt.FieldTraininginBamyan

MAILWildlifeMonitoringOfficer(1)

July2008 21days

53 IntroductiontoConservationBiologyandActiveLearning

WCSEnglishTeachersfromNuristan(8)

Sept2008 4days

54 EnglishCourses WakhiCommunityMembers(40)

January2009(start)

2months

55 WildlifeSurveyMethodologyandDataCollection

NuristanCommunitymembersandWCSResearchAssistants(12)

Nov2007 22days

56 EnvironmentalEducation WakhanSchoolteachers(6) May2007 15days

57 BirdSurveyMethodologiesField WCSResearchAssistant(1) Sept2007 21days

52


DATE DURATION

Training

58 ActiveTeachingandEcology KabulZooEnvironmentalEducator(1)

March2009

15‐20hours

59 ConservationEducationFellowship* WCSProtectedAreaSpecialist(1)

June2009

2weeks

60 FirstAidTraining Band‐i‐AmirRangers(5) May2009 1weeks

61 WakhanTouristGuideandCookTraining

Communitymembers(25) Spring2007

2weeks

62 HerbariumSpecimenLabelingandMounting

KabulUniversityProfessor(1),WCSResearchAssistant(1);(2)

Spring2008

1day

63 IntroductoryRangerTraining WakhiCommunityMembers(31)

July2009 3days

64 RangerTraining–fieldcraft,datacollectionandtourismmanagement

Band‐i‐AmirNationalParkRangers(4)

August2009

2weeks

Thislistisnotexhaustive.Therearelikelysomerecenttrainingsthathavebeeninadvertentlyleftoutofthislist. Contactauthorsforparticipantlistsforabovementionedtrainings.

53

APPENDIX I. PARTICIPANTS IN STUDY TOUR TO WCS CAMBODIA

NAME TITLE

HabibullahBarat HeadofConventions,NEPA

MohammedTaherAtayi ForestryDept.Head,Bamyan,MinistryofAgriculture

AbdulRaheemSheerzad BadakshanDept.ofForestry,MinistryofAgriculture

GulNabiHimat WildlifeDepartment,NEPA

SayedAminuddin WakhanCommunityLeader,QalaPanj

InayatullahFarahmand Interpreter,WildlifeConservationSociety

54

APPENDIX J. INTERVIEW CONDUCTED WITH MAIL STAFF

Interview Questionnaire – National Government

Interviewers:KaraStevensandArefRahimy

Interviewees:HashimBarikzai,DG,NRMDepartment AbdulSamaiSakhi,Director,ProtectedAreaDepartment AssadullahKhairzad,WildlifeMonitoringOfficer

• WearespecificallyconcernedabouttherelationshipbetweenthenationalofficeandBadakshan,BamyanandNuristanprovinces.

• Allanswerswillremainconfidentialandwewillnotconnecttheperson’snametotheiranswers

1.Whatisthemethodforcommunicationbetweenyourdepartmentandyourprovincialstaffregardingwildlifeissues?(Checkallthatapply)Clarifywildlifeissues:hunting,populationdecline/increase,depredation,human/wildlifeconflict,deforestation,wildlifedisease,presence,trade)

a.writtenreports b.phone c.face‐to‐facecommunication d.e‐mail e.noanswer/don’tknow2.Howoftendoyoucommunicatewithprovincialdepartmentstaffregardingwildlifeissues?

a.quarterlyb.monthly

c.2‐3timesamonth d.weekly e.nosetschedule,variesbyprovince,wheneverwe/theyvisit f.never g.noanswer/don’tknow3.Isthereaprovincialstaffmemberwhosetermsofreferenceincludemonitoringwildlife..

InNuristan? YESorNOorDON’TKNOW InBadakshan? YESorNOorDON’TKNOW InBamyan? YESorNOorDON’TKNOW4.Inthepasttwoyears,hasthenumberofstaffhiredtoaddresswildlifeissuesintheprovinces:

INCREASEDorDECREASEDorNOTCHANGED?

5.Doprovincialstaffcollectdataonwildlifepresenceandabsence…..

InNuristan? YESorNOorDK(Yes=Q6;No,DK=Q11) InBadakshan? YESorNOorDK(Yes=Q6;No,DK=Q11) InBamyan? YESorNOorDK(Yes=Q6;No,DK=Q11)6.Howoftendo____________provincialstaffcollectdataonwildlifepresence/absenceintheirprovince?Writethenameoftheprovincenexttotheanswerchoice.

a.Quarterly

55

b.Monthly c.2‐3timesamonth d.Weekly e.nosetschedule,variesbyprovince,wheneverwe/theyvisit7.InNuristan,whichspeciesaretheMAILstafffocusedonprotectingand/orcollectingdataon?

8.InBamyan,whichspeciesarethestafffocusedonprotectingand/orcollectingdataon?

9.InBadakshan,whichspeciesarethestafffocusedonprotectingand/orcollectingdataon?

10.Whatarethemethodsusedforcollectingdataon_____________?(askabouteachspeciesmentionedabove.Questioncanberephrasedas,Howdoyoucollectdataon_______?)

11.Areprovincialstaffrequiredtosubmitworkreportstothenationalgovernment?

a.Yes(YES=Q12) b.No(NO=Q18)12.Ifyes,doesthecontentofthesereportscontaininformationaboutdisease,populationnumbers,hunting,trade,human/wildlifeconflictorpresenceorabsenceofwildlifeintheprovinces?

a.Yes(YES=Q13) b.No(NO=Q18) c.Don’tknow/noanswer13.Howoftenarereportsaboutwildlifesubmittedtothenationalgovernment?

a.Weekly b.2‐3timesamonth c.Monthly d.Quarterly e.2timesayear f.Notregularly/never g.Noanswer/don’tknow14.Whatistheformofthereportingaboutwildlife?

a.Written b.Verbal c.Both d.Noanswer/don’tknow15.In1385,howmanyreportsaboutwildlifeweresubmittedfrom….(offertherangesof1‐5,6‐10,11‐15,16‐20,21‐25,26‐30,morethan30)

Badakshan? Bamyan? Nuristan?

16.In1386,howmanyreportsweresubmittedfrom….

Badakshan?

56

Bamyan? Nuristan?

17.In1387,howmanyreportssofarhavebeensubmittedfrom…..

Badakshan? Bamyan? Nuristan? Askforcopyofareport,ifitisavailable

18.Asaresultofinformationgatheredfromtheprovincesinregardtothreatsonwildlife,whatspecificactionshastheKabulofficetakentomitigatethosethreats?(Ask:whatotherMinistrieswereinvolved?Ifalawwasbroken,didanyoneattempttoenforceit?Werethepolice/armycontacted?Isthethreatresolved?Findoutwho,what,where,when,why.AskWHATELSE?

19.IntheNRMDepartmentatMOAILinKabul,whosetermsofreferenceincludemonitoringwildlifepopulationsand/orwildlifemanagement?(listallthatarementioned)

20.Inthepastthreeyears,hasthenumberofstaffinMOAILinKabulworkingonwildlifeandprotectedareasincreased,decreasedorstayedthesame?

21.Inthepastthreeyears,hasthequalificationofthestaffmembersinKabulworkingonwildlifeandprotectedareasincreased,decreasedorstayedthesame?

22.Inthenextthreeyears,willthenumberofstaffatMOAILnationwideworkingonwildlifeandprotectedareas,increase,decreaseorstaythesame?

Othercomments:

******

InterviewQuestionnaire– Provincial Government

Interviewer:KaraStevensandArefRahimy

Interviewees:EngineerAlim,Director,BadakshanProvincialDept.ofAgriculture

Mhmd.TaherAtahi,Director,BamyanProvincialDept.ofAgriculture

• WearespecificallyconcernedabouttherelationshipbetweenthenationalofficeandBadakshan,Bamyanprovinces.

• Allanswerswillremainconfidentialandwewillnotconnecttheperson’snametotheiranswers

1.WhatisthemethodforcommunicationbetweenyourdepartmentandthenationalgovernmentinKabulregardingwildlifeissues?(Checkallthatapply)Clarifywildlifeissues:hunting,populationdecline/increase,depredation,human/wildlifeconflict,deforestation,wildlifedisease,presence,trade)

a.writtenreports b.phone c.face‐to‐facecommunication

57

d.e‐mail e.noanswer/don’tknow2.HowoftendoyoucommunicatewiththenationalgovernmentinKabulregardingwildlifeissues?

a.quarterlyb.monthly

c.2‐3timesamonth d.weekly e.nosetschedule,variesbyprovince,wheneverwe/theyvisit f.never g.noanswer/don’tknow3.Isthereastaffmemberinyourdepartmentwhosetermsofreferenceincludemonitoringwildlife?YES(=Q4)NO(=Q5)

4.Howlonghashebeenworkinginthatroleatyourdepartment?

5.In1385,whatwasyourdepartment’sbudget?

6.In1386,whatwasyourdepartment’sbudget?

7.Whatisyourdepartment’sbudgetthisyear?

8.Doyourstaffcollectdataonwildlifepresenceandabsence?

YES(=Q9)NO(=Q12)

9.Howoftendoyourstaffcollectdataonwildlifepresence/absencein____province?

a.Monthly b.2‐3timesamonth c.Weekly d.nosetschedule,variesbyprovince,wheneverwe/theyvisit10.In________,whichspeciesareyourstafffocusedonprotectingand/orcollectingdataon?

11.Whatarethemethodsusedforcollectingdataon_____________?(askabouteachspeciesmentionedabove.Questioncanberephrasedas,Howdoyoucollectdataon_______?)

12.Areyouoryourstaffrequiredtosubmitworkreportstothenationalgovernment?

a.Yes(=Q13) b.No(=Q19)13.Doesthecontentofthesereportscontaininformationaboutdisease,populationnumbers,hunting,trade,human/wildlifeconflictorpresenceorabsenceofwildlife?

a.Yes(=Q14) b.No(=Q19) c.Don’tknow/noanswer14.Howoftenarereportsaboutwildlifesubmittedtothenationalgovernment?

a.Weekly b.2‐3timesamonth

58

c.Monthly d.Quarterly e.2timesayear f.Notregularly/never g.Noanswer/don’tknow15.Whatistheformofthereporting?

a.Written b.Verbal c.Both16.In1385,howmanyreportsaboutwildlifeweresubmitted?(iftheycan’tsay,offertherangesof1‐5,6‐10,11‐15,16‐20,21‐25,26‐30,morethan30)

17.In1386,howmanyreportsaboutwildlifeweresubmitted?(iftheycan’tsay,offertherangesof1‐5,6‐10,11‐15,16‐20,21‐25,26‐30,morethan30)

18.Sofarin1387howmanyhavebeensubmitted?(iftheycan’tsay,offertherangesof1‐5,6‐10,11‐15,16‐20,21‐25,26‐30,morethan30)

19.Asaresultofinformationgatheredfrom<yourprovince>inregardtothreatsonwildlife,whatspecificactionshastheMinistryofAgricultureinKabultakentomitigatethosethreats?(Ask:whatotherMinistrieswereinvolved?Ifalawwasbroken,didanyoneattempttoenforceit?Werethepolice/armycontacted?Isthethreatresolved?Findoutwho,what,where,when,why.AskWHATELSE?)

20.TowhominKabuldoyousubmityourreports?(listallthatarementioned)

Askforacopyofareportifitisavailable.

21.Inthepastthreeyears,hasthenumberofstaffinyourdepartmentworkingonwildlifeandprotectedareasincreased,decreasedorstayedthesame?

22.Inthepastthreeyears,hasthequalificationofthestaffinyourdepartmentworkingonwildlifeandprotectedareasincreased,decreasedorstayedthesame?

23.Inthenextthreeyears,willthenumberofpeopleworkingonwildlifeandprotectedareasinyourprovinceincrease,decreaseorstaythesame?

Othercomments:

59

APPENDIX K. WAKHAN COMMUNITY AWARENESS QUESTIONAIRE

#1:HaveyouheardoftheWildlifeConservationSociety?YESorNO

Note:IftheanswerisNo,skiptoquestion#3

#2:DoyouknowwhattypeofprogramWCSisimplementinginAfghanistan?YESorNO

Note:IftheanswerisNo,skiptoquestion#3

#2A:Ifyes,whattypeofprogramdoesWCSimplementinAfghanistan?

#3:WhatwildlifespeciesinWakhanareindangerofgoingextinct?

Note:Ifgroupanswers“NONE”,skipto#4.

#3A:Whyis<theanimalmentionedinQuestion3>indangerofgoingextinct?

#4:WhatarethebenefitstoyoufromthewildanimalsintheWakhan?

#5:Whataretheeffectsofovergrazingontheenvironment?

60

APPENDIX L. RESULTS OF POST‐TRAINING EVALUATION IN RANGELAND CONSERVATION

NO QUESTION RESULTS 1 Whichofthefollowingarecausedbyovergrazing?(Chooseallthatapply)

a.Theplantcannotstorefoodinitsrootsforwinterandtosurvivedroughtb.Theplantcannotproduceenoughrootsc.Theplantcannotproduceenoughleavesd.Theplantreproducese.Theplantcannotsurvivewinter

3/3correct:16%2/3correct:0%1/3correct:63%0/3correct:21%

2 Soilismadeupof:a.25%matter,75%porespaceb.50%matter,50%porespacec.40%matter,60%porespaced.75%matter,25%porespace

Correct:50%

3 Waterisneededforthefollowingprocesses:a.Photosynthesisb.Openingstomataforcarbondioxideabsorptionc.Uptakeofnutrientsfromthesoild.Alloftheabove

Correct:42%

4 Thebiggertheleaf,the_____________growthoftheplant. Correct:94%5 Wheredoestheleafbladegrowfrom?

a.Tipb.Junctionofbladeandsheathc.Bothaandb.

Correct:94%

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