ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 352

Introduction
Being an interconnection between three geographical zones (Fig.1), Afghanistan is characterized
by ethnic diversity, rich culture, beautiful landscapes and mountainous nature (Barfield 2010). After thirty years of political conflicts, both internally and internationally, Afghanistan experienced
a huge decline and deterioration. During these years, the country witnessed the absence of governmental bodies and authorities, extreme poverty, low living conditions, destruction of around
60% of the its infrastructure, and deterioration of most of its natural treasures that are now in a
critical situation. According to the United Nations Environment Program (2009), one million people died during the years of conflict and around five million left their homes looking for shelter in
safer places.
After signing the Bonn agreement in 2001, Afghanistan entered a reconstruction and renewal
phase. There were many attempts by both the transitional governments and the UN to assess the
environmental, social and economic situation in the country trying to overcome the serious deterioration. Afghanistan currently is one of the poorest and less developed countries in the world,
making the rebirth process even more challenging (UNEP 2009).

Figure 1: Afghanistan map (Barfield 2010)

Overview of Bamiyan
Bamiyan city is the capital of Bamiyan Province that is located in central Afghanistan, northwest
Kabul, strategically located as an interconnection between the different cultures traveling along
the Silk Road, as shown in Figure 1. Bamiyan is a rural area, where most of the population depends
on agriculture for living, mainly wheat and potatoes. Bamiyan was largely affected by the years

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ZEMCH 2015 | International Conference | Bari - Lecce, Italy