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Reconstruction Travel: Afghanistan's First (and Only) National Park

Officials hope the six lakes of Band-e-Amir, in Afghanistan's Bamiyan province, will soon be the centerpiece of the country's first national park. The Wildlife Conservation Society and USAID have promised money and assistance for the project, including a paved road to the area that will make it much easier to reach.

But when you're a small-time farmer or shepherd trying to scrape by in a war-torn country, putting natural resources off-limits doesn't sound like the best idea. One local wonders how he'll power his flour mill if he's not allowed to use the area's waterfalls for power. A Wildlife Conservation Society official says park rules won't be as rigid as they are in, say, the US:

I don't think that our job here...is to re-create an American park. And, in fact, other than gentle nudges, I don't really want to be saying, 'Here is the vision.' I want the vision to be grown from theirs.

How that all shakes out is still up in the air--as is payment for the current park rangers. Might yet be awhile till we see this one in Lonely Planet Afghanistan.

Related Stories:
· Amid War, Afghanistan Builds Its First National Park [NPR]
· War on Terrorism Travel: Lonely Planet Cracks Afghanistan [Jaunted]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: tracyhunter]