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National Action Programme to Combat Desertification in Pakistan

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National Action Programme to Combat Desertification in Pakistan Sustainable Land Management Project II; Funded by GM-UNCCD and GEF, administered by UNDP. The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Published by: Sustainable Land Management Project II, Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan, International Union for Conservation Nature (IUCN) Pakistan, Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Copyright: © 2017 IUCN, Pakistan. Citation is encouraged. Reproduction and/or translation of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from SLMP II / MoCC / IUCN Pakistan, provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission from SLMP II / MoCC / IUCN Pakistan. Citation: SLMP II / MoCC / IUCN Pakistan (2017). National Action Programme to Combat Desertification in Pakistan. IUCN Pakistan, Pakistan. xii+87 pp. Compilation: Dr. Ghulam Akbar, Iqbal Muhammad and Fauzia Bilqis Malik Editor: Danish Rashdi and Fauzia Bilqis Malik Design: Azhar Saeed, IUCN Pakistan Available from: Sustainable Land Management Project II IUCN Pakistan IUCN Islamabad Programme Office 3rd Floor, Royal Plaza 1-Bath island Road House 70-A, Main Nazimuddin Road NPF Road near E-11/2, Islamabad Clifton Karachi F-7/4, Islamabad i Table of Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms ....................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................vi Executive Summary .................................................................................................... viii 1. The Narrative ......................................................................................................... 1 2. Geography .............................................................................................................. 3 3. Physical features ................................................................................................... 4 3.1 The Northern Mountains ............................................................................... 4 3.2 The North-western Mountains ...................................................................... 5 3.3 The Balochistan Plateau .................................................................................5 3.4 The Pothowar Plateau ...................................................................................5 3.5 The Upper and Lower Indus Plains ................................................................5 3.6 The Deserts ....................................................................................................5 3.7. The Coastal Areas ..........................................................................................6 4. Climate ....................................................................................................................7 4.1 Climatic regions ..............................................................................................7 4.2 Meteorology ....................................................................................................8 4.3 Changing pattern of rainfall ..........................................................................12 4.4 Future climatic projections ...........................................................................13 5. Agro-ecological zones .........................................................................................14 5.1 The Indus Delta ............................................................................................14 5.2 The Southern Irrigated Plains .......................................................................14 5.3 The Sandy Desert .........................................................................................14 5.4 The Northern Irrigated Plains .......................................................................14 5.5 The Barani Lands .........................................................................................14 5.6 The Wet Mountains .......................................................................................15 5.7 The Northern Dry Mountains ........................................................................15 5.8 The Western Dry Mountains .........................................................................15 5.9 The Dry Western Plateau ..............................................................................15 5.10 The Sulaiman Piedmont ...............................................................................15 6. Soils of Pakistan ...................................................................................................16 6.1 Sand Ridges ...........................................................................................................17 6.2 Abandoned Channels .............................................................................................17 6.3 Flood Plains ............................................................................................................17 7. Land capability .....................................................................................................18 8. Aridity .....................................................................................................................20 9. Land use in Pakistan ............................................................................................21 9.1 Area under forests ........................................................................................22 9.2 Other land uses ............................................................................................22 ii 10. Agricultural setting ...............................................................................................23 10.1 Land utilization .............................................................................................23 11. Desertification – a global phenomenon .............................................................24 11.1 Challenges of Desertification ........................................................................24 11.2 The Dry lands ...............................................................................................25 11.3 Causes of Desertification .............................................................................25 11.4 Global status of desertification ....................................................................25 12. Desertification in Pakistan ..................................................................................26 12.1 Soil erosion ...................................................................................................27 12.2 Erosion by wind ............................................................................................27 12.3 Erosion by water ...........................................................................................28 12.4 Salinity and Sodicity .....................................................................................29 12.5 Water-logging and Salinity ...........................................................................29 12.6 Poor management of surface and groundwater resources .........................30 12.7 Drought and Migration .................................................................................30 12.8 Floods ...........................................................................................................31 12.9 Loss of soil fertility ........................................................................................31 12.10 Deforestation ................................................................................................32 12.11 Livestock grazing ..........................................................................................32 12.12 Expansion of high-delta crops .....................................................................32 12.13 Unsustainable harvesting of NTFPs .............................................................32 12.14 Climate Change ............................................................................................33 12.15 Loss of biodiversity ......................................................................................33 12.16 Socio-economic constraints & incidence of poverty ...................................33 12.17 Warming Pakistan .........................................................................................33 12.18 Poverty ..........................................................................................................34 13. Plans/Rules/Acts/ prepared in the past .............................................................36 13.1 Forestry Sector Master Plan .........................................................................36 13.2 National Conservation Strategy ...................................................................36 13.3 Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy .....................................................37 13.4 Balochistan Conservation Strategy ..............................................................37 13.5 Provincial Forest Resources Inventory .........................................................37
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