Ajar Valley Nature Reserve is a protected area in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, located in
Bamyan Province. It was designated a nature reserve in the early 20th century after the Afghan royal family had used the area for hunting. It is considered by the
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
to be one of the most important natural areas of Afghanistan and was proposed for a national park in 1981.
Poaching is still a problem in the valley and protection has been implicated by war. Especially threatened is the
ibex
An ibex (plural ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. ...
population.
See also
*
References
External links
The Atlantic.com: "The Valley of Kings" April 2004.
Protected areas of Afghanistan
Geography of Bamyan Province
Hazarajat
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