One topic that my group is exploring is the ongoing issue of deforestation in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations Environmental Program, “over the past three decades, Afghanistan’s forest cover has decreased by about 50%” (Carberry and Faizy 2013); there are a variety of reasons for this environmentally harmful trend. One reason is the dependence of Afghani people on timber as a source of “fuelwood” (Carberry and Faizy 2013), which, when taken in the context of a growing population numbering in the millions, means that deforestation will continue to occur as demand for timber rises. Other issues such as the smuggling of timber, also play a role in the depletion of Afghanistan’s timber reserves. The high demand for timber by Pakistan, combined with the desire of Afghani people to make a living in a slow-paced economy, means that the illegal market for wood has prospered, leading to large-scale smuggling operations that ignore the negative externalities associated with deforestation (Carberry and Faizy 2013). This situation is further exacerbated by the permissive attitude of government officials towards the illegal timber trade, which ultimately promotes smuggling activities (Carberry and Faizy 2013). The overall consequence of these issues is that the timber market in Afghanistan ignores the socially efficient level of harvesting and conservation, leading to deforestation and the depletion of a valuable natural resource in the country.
In relation to the concept of sustainable resource exploitation, Afghanistan’s deforestation limits the ability of future generations of Afghan people to enjoy the benefits derived from the presence and access to timber reserves. As long as the current market is focused on short-term economic gains and not the long-run welfare of future generations, it will be difficult to effectively regulate the timber trade and adopt practices that are economically viable in the long-run. However, addressing this problem not only requires improving Afghanistan’s economy, but also addressing a host of social and security issues that contribute to the phenomenon of deforestation.
Carberry, Sean; Faizy, Sultan. “Afghanistan’s Forests a Casualty of Timber Smuggling”. (2013). NPR. Accessed: February 16, 2016. Available at: http://www.npr.org/2013/03/18/174200911/afghanistans-forests-a-casualty-of-timber-smuggling