The Snow Leopard Project: And Other Adventures in Warzone Conservation

by Alex Dehgan

Overview

The remarkable story of the heroic effort to save and preserve Afghanistan's wildlife-and a culture that derives immense pride and a sense of national identity from its natural landscape.

Postwar Afghanistan is fragile, volatile, and perilous. It is also a place of extraordinary beauty. Evolutionary biologist Alex Dehgan arrived in the country in 2006 to build the Wildlife Conservation Society's Afghanistan Program, and preserve and protect Afghanistan's unique and extraordinary environment, which had been decimated after decades of war.

Conservation, it turned out, provided a common bond between Alex's team and the people of Afghanistan. His international team worked unarmed in some of the most dangerous places in the country-places so remote that winding roads would abruptly disappear, and travel was on foot, yak, or mule. In The Snow Leopard Project, Dehgan takes readers along with him on his adventure as his team helps create the country's first national park, completes the some of the first extensive wildlife surveys in thirty years, and works to stop the poaching of the country's iconic endangered animals, including the elusive snow leopard. In doing so, they help restore a part of Afghan identity that is ineffably tied to the land itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610396950
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	01/22/2019
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	521,138
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Alex Dehgan is the founder and CEO of Conservation X Labs, which is focused on transforming the field of conservation through technological and financial innovation. Previously, he was USAID's first chief scientist in twenty years, and ensured that USAID became the global leader on employing science, technology, and creativity to help solve development challenges.

Prior to his tenure at USAID, he worked at the Department of State on science diplomacy under Ambassador Dennis Ross, and later under Ambassador Holbrooke and the Office of the Special Representative to the President for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was the William Rainey Harper Fellow for the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago, and was granted a Searle Fellowship and a National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship among twenty-one other awards, fellowships, and grants he has received during the tenure of his career. He currently teaches at Duke University. He has worked and traveled in almost ninety countries across five continents.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Bird-Watching with the Taliban 1

Chapter 2 The Snow Leopard Start-Up 21

Chapter 3 Afghanistan's Biological Silk Road 47

Chapter 4 The Ordinary Extraordinary Life in Kabul 63

Chapter 5 The Forgotten Peoples on the Roof of the World 87

Chapter 6 The Buddhas of Band-e-Amir 115

Chapter 7 Vampires in the Land of Light 147

Chapter 8 The Search for the Last Afghan Cheetah 169

Chapter 9 Adventures in Conservation Diplomacy 191

Chapter 10 Back in the CCCP 201

Chapter 11 The Snow Leopard Comforter 227

Epilogue The Snow Leopard Project 251

Acknowledgments 261

Abbreviations 265

Index 267

Editorial Reviews

10/29/2018
In this captivating narrative, evolutionary biologist Dehgan chronicles his work with the Wildlife Conservation Society to establish Afghanistan’s first national park. First arriving in Kabul in 2006, Dehgan realizes early on that success for the ambitious project would depend on three things: that “sufficient wildlife still existed in the country”; that the Afghanistan government and its people would even be interested, given “other competing needs”; and that he and his team could do their work despite the daunting security problems they faced. With clarity and a bit of awe, Deghan describes Afghanistan’s great geological past and its “dramatic and largely unappreciated biodiversity.” For example, in addition to deserts, it contains thick coniferous forests, home to Asiatic black bears, flying squirrels, and wolves. Shallow lakes and wetlands host waterfowl, pelicans, and flamingos, while the mountains “that carve up the country” provide essential habitats for snow leopards, Marco Polo sheep, and golden eagles. Dehgan also touches on nitty-gritty procedural details, such as setting up offices and hiring local staff, and on larger concerns, such as the advantages of scientific cooperation to “build trust, resolve tensions, and build the scaffolding for .” In so doing, he leaves readers with an optimistic message that, in any sphere of life, effective collaboration toward common goals can benefit everyone. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Captivating....With clarity and a bit of awe, Dehgan describes Afghanistan's geological past and its 'dramatic and largely unappreciated biodiversity'....He leaves readers with an optimistic message that, in any sphere of life, effective collaboration toward common goals can benefit everyone.—Publishers Weekly

The Snow Leopard Project is a richly detailed chronicle of Alex Dehgan's often-harrowing journey through Afghanistan to help save stunningly beautiful parts of a war-torn land. Dehgan is a brave and intrepid traveler, and he takes readers into his adventures with unique wildlife in one of the planet's most remote landscapes. His improbable journey, rendered with grace and insight, is a must-read for anyone who craves adventure and is curious about the world beyond our borders.—Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan

Saving snow leopards and opening a national park in a warzone sounds crazy, but that's just what Alex Dehgan set out to do in Afghanistan. This is a remarkable story of courage, humor, and tenacity—and making peace where the politicians have failed. Dehgan brought people together through an unexpected common purpose-protecting one of the world's most exquisite endangered animals.—Christina Lamb, O.B.E., chief foreign correspondent, The Sunday Times, co-author of I Am Malala and The Sewing Circle of Herat

In The Snow Leopard Project, Alex Dehgan shows us that the biological Silk Road-with its Marco Polo sheep, show leopards, and ibex-is as unique and diverse as the cultural Silk Road. He takes us into the heart of war-torn Afghanistan on a mission to survery the biodiversity, to set aside national parks, and to investigate the illegal wildlife trade. This book engages the reader from the very beginning, with a gripping, fast-paced set of adventure stories and a moral imperative. It should be required reading for anyone interested in conservation.—Patricia Wright, conservationist and founder of the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments, Stonybrook University, MacArthur Genius Award-winner

An eye-opening account of what it takes to protect wildlife under improbable conditions. Dehgan's zeal for conservation, passion for humanitarian outreach, and admiration for the Afghan people spring from every page.—Booklist

[An] intriguing, detailed, frequently unnerving account... The author vividly describes the rugged lands he and his crew encountered... Dehgan's lessons provide a sort of textbook on the frustrations and complexities of working on conservation in a place where science runs into the snarls of politics and diplomacy-and often loses—Kirkus Reviews

"Less a book about research than about the trials, triumphs and occasional absurdity of building a conservation programme in extreme circumstances."—Nature

"The Snow Leopard Project illuminates a vital area of science - and a country filled with natural and cultural beauty. I was captivated by Dehgan's writing, chapter by chapter."—NationalPublic Radio

"A stunning true story about efforts to protect these endangered cats and other rare species while also helping to defend the human culture around them-and strengthening the bond between people and nature in the process."—TheRevelator

"This compelling look at conservation efforts in a war-torn country is a must-read for anyone interested in attempts to stem the loss of biodiversity."
—LibraryJournal

From the Publisher

2018-11-12

The subtitle says it all: Conservation efforts in war zones are the real subjects of this intriguing, detailed, frequently unnerving account, one in which snow leopards play a relatively minor role.

Dehgan, co-founder and CEO of Conservation X Labs, "an innovation and technology startup focused on ending human-induced extinction," tells his unique story of conservation efforts in postwar Afghanistan. His job, which began there in 2006 under the aegis of the Wildlife Conservation Society, was to examine ecosystems that had been devastated by war, determine what flora and fauna (if any) remained, and set up new national parks along with the legal structures required to maintain them. As the author makes abundantly clear, the physical conditions were challenging and security was lacking, but, as he reminds us frequently, the people he met along the way were friendly, charming, and helpful. However, while some sightings are reported, animals are largely absent in the narrative. Dehgan's previous experiences working in Russia and Madagascar prepared him well for this job, and he clearly demonstrates the necessary organizational know-how. The author vividly describes the rugged lands he and his crew encountered, but maps would have been a big help to those unfamiliar with the geography. The U.S. Agency for International Development (where the author previously served as chief scientist) comes in for sharp criticism: Dehgan writes that in Afghanistan, USAID had little interest in protecting wildlife or in using science as a tool but a great deal of interest in receiving written reports on the money being spent. The more money spent, the author writes, the happier the USAID.

Nature lovers' expectations may be unfulfilled, but Dehgan's lessons provide a sort of textbook on the frustrations and complexities of working on conservation in a place where science runs into the snarls of politics and diplomacy—and often loses.

Kirkus Reviews

Asking an armed escort to point his AK-47 away from everyone isn't a laughing matter, but Dan Woren narrates with a wry humor that often makes this true story amusing and unnerving at the same time. Dehgan went to Afghanistan to develop the country's first national park. During his stay he initiated the Snow Leopard Project to raise awareness of the illicit fur trade. Woren skillfully injects Dehgan's emotions into a clear, informative reading. Listeners will be amused by a teddy bear survey to test procedures for studying wildlife and concerned about the well-being of an official when Dehgan learns of his injury from a land mine. Most listeners wouldn't want to wear parkas in the office, as Dehgan must during an Afghan winter, but Dehgan makes the experience fascinating, and Woren brings listeners along. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2019 - AudioFile

Asking an armed escort to point his AK-47 away from everyone isn't a laughing matter, but Dan Woren narrates with a wry humor that often makes this true story amusing and unnerving at the same time. Dehgan went to Afghanistan to develop the country's first national park. During his stay he initiated the Snow Leopard Project to raise awareness of the illicit fur trade. Woren skillfully injects Dehgan's emotions into a clear, informative reading. Listeners will be amused by a teddy bear survey to test procedures for studying wildlife and concerned about the well-being of an official when Dehgan learns of his injury from a land mine. Most listeners wouldn't want to wear parkas in the office, as Dehgan must during an Afghan winter, but Dehgan makes the experience fascinating, and Woren brings listeners along. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2019 - AudioFile