In Afghanistan, WCS sees sustainable resource management as key to improving livelihoods and providing long-term stability in a country where 80% of the people depend economically on the natural resource base for their survival, and with an environment that has been badly degraded through 30 years of conflict. WCS’s work in Afghanistan is cross-cutting and concentrated around five major pillars: the creation of community governance institutions; facilitation of community livelihood development; building of capacity to manage the health interface between livestock, wildlife and humans; strengthening of laws, policies and institutions; and development of technical capacity for natural resource management at all levels. Through funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), WCS combines field-based science, training, and governance building to ensure sustainable community-government co-management of natural resources and encourage a real involvement in protected areas so that tangible benefits flow back to the communities and the environment. WCS believes that sustainable environmental management is a critical part of reconstruction in Afghanistan – providing improved livelihoods, jobs, and protection for the country’s unique biodiversity over the long term