Thursday, February 10, 2011

What is SEA?

Save the Environment-Afghanistan SEA is an Afghan managed conservation organization created for protection of environment, sustainable resources utilization, conservation of biodiversity and integrated development of natural resource in Afghanistan. The organization is registered with the government, and member of Afghan NGOs coordination bureau at the national level. SEA is member of IUCN, IUFRO and APAFRI at the international level. As local expertise, SEA works closely with ICF, WWF, ICIMOD, ISLT and various other environment/ conservation organizations.
 
WHO WE ARE?
-  A national environmental protection entity
- Open, Voluntary, and fully committed to environment and nature conservation
- Non-profit, non-political and non-governmental organization
-  Have strong presence in Afghanistan
OUR VISION
Strong and healthy environment in a fully traditionally integrated and participatory nature
Our mission
Save the Environment-Afghanistan (SEA) strives to work on the revival of environmental protection culture and implement policies and programs that make the environment as pleasant as in 17th century.
  • Support natural resource management
  • Support Waste management and air quality in urban areas
  • Wildlife management and conservation
  • Environmental/Conservation education
  • Lobby and advocacy
Our board
A team of National intellectuals has been interested and dedicated to support environmental activities. They are university professors, government members, private resorters and young dedicators.
Our Technical Advisors
National and International intellectuals with conservation profession who support the mission through cable communication and physical participation in the agenda of SEA. It is the strongest profession in SEA.

What we do?

A. Work on the reviewing of following agenda is in processing:
1. The people (ethnic background, Traditional conservancy knowledge, integrates the issues into environmental/conservation programs, natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. This will facilitate the implementation of various environmental programs.
2. Compile a local interpretation of the natural resources
(Vegetation and forests, agriculture and rangelands, water resources, and wetlands, fauna, areas of ecological significant, mineral resources in local languages

B. Environmental Education (more than 10 years experience)
B1. Promote the Environmental Advocacy
1. Environmental Education and promulgate age-specified environmental messages
2. Establishing voluntary community groups in environment and biodiversity leaded by religious scholars and community intellectuals and elders
3. Seminars, workshops, assay writing, exhibitions, environmental protection campaign, level-count conferences and environmentally sound community mobilization
4. Initiative to set-up environmental clubs in schools, education institutions, universities and governmental organizations
5. Goal oriented motivation activities within the government institutions in consideration and implementation of environmental law and rules

C. Publication and information dissemination
  • Booklets that explains the values of environment, cause of environmental fragility, feasible methods hat mitigate environmental degradation
  • Booklet on communicating pictures that is age-bound practical knowledge
  • Display of comparative environmental knowledge and education charts, banners, leaflets and etc
  • Research on the indigenous conservancy knowledge and promote the knowledge as basis for environment safeguarding
Conservation Activities

D1. Natural resource Management
  • Collaborate the government in implementation of environmental projects and programs
  • Support projects to identify, study, classify, screening, designation and finally gazeting the areas of potential ecological nature
  • Community based natural resource management and poverty reduction in and around the ecological potential areas and tentative protected areas in future
  • Contribute in monitoring and protection of biodiversity
D2. Protected areas and National parks
  • Support social and people behaviors in protection of biodiversity potential areas
  • Support in assessment, identification, and designation of potentially biodiversity areas
  • Support in development, design and implementation of management and land use plan for protected areas
  • Community mobilization in conservation stewardship of designated protected areas
E. Wildlife management programs
  • Support the development of wildlife management mechanism
  • Collaborate in developing protected areas management strategy
  • Collaborate in eco-tourism development strategy
  • Possibly, support the government in implementation of pilot and principle projects in future
  • Collaborate in ecological zonation and mapping of different wildlife species distribution, Characteristics, and the type of habitats
F. Technical support for promulgation of clean energy
  • Community mobilization for clean energy utilization
  • Technical support in introduction of solar, wind, biogas and microhydro
  • Energy efficiency training
  • Technical support in development of policies, strategy and reports on energy
G. Waste management programs
  • Technical support in recognition of waste hotspot
  • Training in waste management and disposal
  • Municipal waste management plan, strategy and policy for mega and small cities
  • EIA studies for solid, liquid, hazardous waste and sewage treatment projects
H. Sustainable Development inititves through:
  • Technical Support for EIA and Social Aspect studies
  • Project feasibility studies
  • Environmental Impact Assessment
  • EIA training
  • Support EIA studies irrigation, forestry, Hydropower, thermal power, power transmission, industries, agro-industries, urban development, road, solid waste management, and chemical based industries

What we’ve done sofar?
  • Implemented around 28 environmental projects inside and outside Afghanistan including environmental education, conservation education, assessment in conflicts the formerly designated protected areas, migratory bird’s corridors, endangered species and working with the governments to maintain verbal rules
  • Support the implementation of environmental programs at the country level of different organizations including (UNEP, UNDP, WWF, ADB etc).
  • Implemented good number of physical projects in environmentally sound areas; for instance, Ghazni province (Dashte Nawor and Abe Estada)
  • Research and studies to Identify a number of potential areas that is significant to wildlife habitat and migratory species landing and feeding areas
  • Cranes research and studies in Afghanistan; particularly in migration routs. Identified the Demoiselle and Eurasian cranes wintering site in northern Afghanistan.
  • Conservation education in the habitat areas and migration corridors for cranes, snow leopard, Markhor etc
  • Research in designated protected areas in conflict stat (Central and Northern Afghanistan)
  • Implementation of a series of reforestation program and urban greenery
  • Community mobilization in environment and conservation around the so called protected areas and buffer zones
  • Supported various projects for the studies the impacts and screening, micro environmental assessment, feasibility studies at the country level.
  • Technical consultancies and cooperation to a number of companies and donor agencies in implementation of Renewable Energy, rural electrification, Natural resource management, and regulatory measures
  • Support various institutions in capacity building in environment, conservation, sound design
  • Support agencies and government in technical text translation, editing, and interpretation
  • Organized good number of seminars, workshops, education programs, rallies, exhibitions and etc
  • Support the training workshops on protected areas, environment legislations and developing texts in the issue
  • Survey and research on the falcon and falconry, Houbara bustard, ibex, Markhor, common leopard and etc in southwest and eastern part of the country.
  • Develop a number of publications including booklets, pamphlets, brochures, charts, pictorial and informative materials in local languages
  • Collaborate and implement a number of urban reforestation programs in Kabul and Jalalabad.
  • Studied the impact of waste and relocation dumpsites in urban areas (Municipal Kabul)
  • Technical support for waste and sanitation programs in Kabul
  • Coordinate the first greenery and landscaping of Wazir Akbarkhan Hill in Kabul. The site than converted to recreational park.
  • Technical cooperation in installation of drip and spray irrigation system in a nursery in Kabul
  • Support the Clean Development Mechanism and Green House Gas Inventory in Afghanistan (ADB)
  • Technical Assistance for the development of Ecotourism Development Strategy for Afghanistan (ADB)
  • Liaise the first ecotourism workshop in Afghanistan
  • Rehabilitation of Cranes exhibition, boundary walls and bird cages in Kabul zoo
  • Technical support for Kabul zoo rehabilitation and mobilization
  • The first zoo education program in Kabul zoo and developing education materials
  • Technical support in the implementation of air quality, natural resource and alternative energy in Afghanistan.
  • Technical support in development of Kabul Air Quality management program
  • Cooperate in the feasibility study of drip irrigation system in Kabul
  • Support in emission and pollutant sources identification
  • Technical support for the clean Development mechanism and Carbon Trade
  • Facilitate the capacity building of government and non governmental institutions in environment and natural resource at the national and international level
  • Support in development of different environmental strategies and policies
  • Technical support to National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA)

SEA’s future applications with the support of the volunteer groups and donors collaboration
  • Nationwide overall environmental awareness campaign on various environmental components
  • Community based natural resources management and alternative livelihood in ecologically sound areas
  • Collaborate in eco-tourism development and identification of ecologically sound and wildlife habitat areas.
  • Research and studies on the extinction of wildlife, habitat and the threats to the species in various ecological areas
F. SEA and Standard Translation Firm
Creation of Standard Translation Firm in framework of SEA brings two different facts:
a. raising fund to maintain environmental activities in the framework of the organization
b. offering standard and competitive translation services that is lack in many means
The Firm consist 6 experienced and competitive translators with intensive knowledge in
English literature along with an auditing committee who’s responsible to overall auditing and correction. The team in the firm is with different education background, e.g environment, construction, agriculture/natural resources, education, energy and literature.

And Finally! Stop damages to biodiversity

Author:Ghulam Mohd Malikyar Sr. Environmental Advisor