Help Protect Afghan Environmental Defenders
Environmentalists & their families across Afghanistan are in danger. Among them are some of the first-ever Afghanistan National Park rangers, the first female border guides, the first mountain guides and many collaborators of the Afghan National Environmental Protection Agency.
These men and women have risked their lives, and the lives of their families, to be able to work on these conservation projects in collaboration with international organizations, including many based in the U.S. Some of their work has contributed to creating and sustaining the first National Park in Afghanistan; promoting the appreciation of and the sustainable use of natural resources; cleaning up hazardous wastes and protecting human health; and conserving wildlife and biodiversity in the region – including culturally important species like snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep.
Now, their lives are at risk from the Taliban due to their collaboration with international organizations. We plan to help evacuate and support Afghan men, women, and children through this fundraising effort to recognize and stand in solidarity with the environmental contributions they have made.
We need your help to safely evacuate and support Afghan environmentalists. Your donation will help us protect conservationists and their families through providing funding for:
The immediate extraction for those at significant risk
Support for families during Visa processing (estimated to take about 12-15 months)
Humanitarian support as needed
Thanks to generous donations received from 171 individuals and organizations around the world, we have been hard at work to organize and lead an effort to protect environmentalists and their families in immediate danger. At this time, a group of 19 Afghan environmental defenders and their families have been evacuated to a safe haven in Mexico.
We hope to protect more.
This fundraising effort is being led by Conservation X Labs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to prevent extinction. Our CEO & Co-Founder Alex Dehgan, was the founding country director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Afghanistan Program and helped create Afghanistan’s first national park.
This effort is being supported by a number of collaborating organizations aiming to help current and former Afghan colleagues who are now at risk. All of these funds have been used to pay for visa fees, travel, lodging, and living expenses. All funding is maintained in a separate bank account and CXL is committed to seeing 100% of the funds used only for the purpose of securing safety, protection, and empowerment of the Afghan Environmental Defenders.
We are committed to not leaving any of our colleagues behind and are grateful to all who have provided funding.
