Abstract
Northern Pakistan is host to three of the world’s biggest and most spectacular mountain ranges: the Himalaya, the Karakoram, and the Hindu Kush. The altitude of this region varies from ± 1400 to 8611 m with climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations. This area is endowed with a great diversity of flora and fauna due to variations in altitude, rainfall, and climate. The native communities have centuries-old knowledge about the plant resources utilization and depend directly or indirectly on these resources to meet their daily needs in the form of vegetables, fruits, medicines, wood, timber, fodder, nuts, honey, spices, food, and many other Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). Currently, biodiversity in this region is strongly influenced by dynamic climatic changes like rise in global temperature, pollution, fluctuation in rainfall, population pressure, agricultural expansion, deforestation, extensive livestock grazing, resource demand, and commercial timber extraction that intensify the rates of habitat loss, habitat degradation, and wildlife exploitation. The unique floral and faunal wealth of the mountain ranges is also undergoing structural and compositional changes due to climate change. Globally, recent studies predict that a temperature rise of 2–3 °C over the next century could result in as many as half of the world’s plant species being threatened with extinction. Species richness and threats suggest that this area needs strong and prompt conservatory management of biodiversity. The study recommends the development of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, botanical gardens, and herbaria based on in situ and ex situ conservation strategies in northern areas of Pakistan to protect regional biodiversity for global acceptance. Indeed, conservation of biodiversity is fundamental to achieving sustainable development in this area, particularly, and world, generally. Maintaining biodiversity is not only crucial for the sustainability in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, wildlife, tourism, health, irrigation, and power sectors in northern Pakistan but also a lifeline for the downstream people in other parts of Pakistan.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ali SI (1978) The flora of Pakistan: some general and analytical remarks. Notes Roy Bot Gard Edinb 36:427–439
Ali SI, Qaiser M (1986) A photogeograhic analysis of the phanerogams of Pakistan and Kashmir. Proc R Soc Edinburgh 89B:89–101
Balik J, Cox PA (2005) Ethnobotanical research and traditional health care in develo** countries. In: Bodeker G, Bhat KKS, Burley J, Vantomme P (eds) Non- wood forest products – 11. Medecinal plants for forest conservation and health care, pp 12–23. FAO, Daya Publishing House, Delhi
Barrett SC, Kohn JR (1991) Genetic and evolutionary consequences of small population size in plants: Implications for conservation. In: Falk DA, Holsinger KE (eds) Genetics and conservation of rare plants, pp 3–30. Oxford University Press, New York
Bass Stephen MJ (1994) The Himalayan Jungle Project: A brief appraisal of achievements and prospects for a Palas Conservation and Development Project. Report to the European Commission
Bellard C, Bertelsmeier C, Leadley P, Thuiller W, Courchamp F (2012) Impacts of climate change on the future of biodiversity. Ecolo Lett 15:365–377
Champion HG, Seth SK, Khattak GM (1965) Forest types of Pakistan. PFI, Peshawar
Chaudhri MN, Quershi RA (1991) Pakistan endangered flora II. A checklist of rare and seriously threatened Taxa of Pakistan. Pak Syst 5(1–2):1–84
Falconer J (1992) Non-timber forest products in southern Ghana, a summary report. ODA Forestry Series No 2. ODA94 Victoria Street, London
Hamdani NH, Shah SAH (2005) Earthquake 2005: some implications for environment and human capital. Munich Personal RePEc Archive. http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/9519/. Accessed 10 July 2008
Hashmi AA, Shafiullah (2003) NASSD Background Paper, Agric. and food security. IUCN Pak. Northern Areas Programme, Gilgit. X+136 pp
Haq I, Hussain Z (1995) Medicinal plants of Palandri, District Poonch (Azad Kashmir). Pak J Sci 1:115–126
Hocking GM (1958) Pakistan medicinal plants 1.Qua Plant Mater Veg 9:103–119
Hooper DU, Chapin FS, Ewel JJ, Hector A, Inchausti P, Lavorel S, Lawton JH, Lodge DM, Loreau M, Naeem S, Schmid B, Setala H, Symstad AJ, Vandermeer J, Wardle DA (2005) Effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning: a consensus of current knowledge. Ecol Monographs 75:3–35
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2007) Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge, UK New York
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2001) Climate change 2001: the scientific basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Houghton JT, Ding Y, Griggs DJ, Noguer M, van der Linden PJ, Dai X, Maskell K, Johnson CA(eds)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, USA, 881 pp
IUCN (1997) IUCNRed list categories. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland
IUCN (1998) Guidelines for Re–introductions. Prepared by the IUCN/SSC Reintroductions Specialist Group–IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK
Khan AH (1957) Studies on the growth and cultivation characteristics of medicinal and other economic plants under semi-temperate conditions. Pak J For 7(4):1–51
Khan HA (1995) Working plan for protected forests of Bahrain Tahsil (Swat District), 1995–96 to 2009–10. NWFP Forest Department
Khan RSQ, Ahmad S, Khan BA (1996) Impact/Solution of fuel shortage on Conser. of Biodiversity of Hindu-Kush Himalayas region of Pakistan. Proc.FirstTrain.WorkshopEthnob. Appl. Conser., PARC, Islamabad. pp 171–176
Mace GM, Norris K, Fitter AH (2012) Biodiversity and ecosystem services: a multilayered relationship. Trends Ecol E 27:19–26
Martin GJ (1995) Ethnobotany, a people and plants conservation manual. Chapman and Hall, London
Mirza JH, Qureshi MSA (1978) Fungi of Pakistan. Dept. of Plant Pathology. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, p 311
Montoya JM, Raffaelli D (2010) Climate change, biotic interactions and ecosystem services. Philos Trans R Soc B-Bioll Sci 365:2013–2018
Naeem S (2009) Ecology: gini in the bottle. Nature 458:579–580
Nasir E, Ali SI (eds) (1980–1995) Flora of Pakistan. No. 132–190. Islamabad, Karachi.
Perkin S (2003) Government of Pakistan & IUCN Pakistan, Karachi; xx, 55, 77, 132, 176
Phillips R, Hurst J (1986) The photographic guide to identify common and important mushrooms. Elm Tree, London. (First published in Great Britain by Elm Tree Books/Hamish Hamilton Ltd.)
Prentice IC, Cramer W, Harrison S, Leemans R, Monserud RA, Soloman AM (1992) A global biome model based onplant physiology and dominance, soil properties and climate. J Biogeogr 19:117–134
Pei S (1992) Mountain culture and forest resource management of Himalaya. In: Tewari DW (ed) Himalayan Ecosystem, pp 114–120. Intel Book Distribution, Dehra Dun
Pie SJ, Manadhar NP (1987) Source of some local medicines in the Himalayan regions. Himalayan Ecosys 77–112
Rehman M, Ghafoor S (2000) The natural resources and human ecology of Mount Elum, District Swat. Consultancy Report.WWF-P, Peshawar
Saddozai AQK (1986) Working plan for the lower siran, Mansehra and AgrorTanawalGuzaraForesta, 1986–87 to 1995–96. The N.W.F.P. Forest Department
Sheikh K M (2000) Ecological studies of avifauna in the naltar valley, Northern Pakistan with a conservation perspective Ph. D. dissertation. Department of Bological Sciences, Quaid-i- AzamUiversity, Islamabad, Pakistan
Shah A (2008) Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions. Global Issues. http://www.globalissues.org/article/171/loss-of-biodiversity-and-extinctions
Shinwari ZK (2006) Biotech for Indigenous Plants: Risks & Ethics. In Khan KM et al. (eds) Proceedings International Conference Biotechnology: Sha** future Agriculture
Siddiqui S, Mansoor A, M. Farid (1994) Studies on cardiac stimulant activity of some medicinal plants. Pak J Pharmacol 11(2):57–64
Shinwari MI, Khan MA (1998) Ethnobotany of margalla hills, national park Islamabad. M. Phil thesis Department of Botanical Sciences Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan
Shinwari MI, Khan MA (1999) Ethnobotanical conservation status of MargallaHills National Park, Islamabad, Pakistan. J Plant Resou Env 8(2):53–60
Shinwari ZK, Gilani SS (2003) Sustainable harvest of medicinal plants at BulashbarNullah, Astore, Northern Pakistan. J Ethnopharm 84:289–298
Shinwari ZK, Gilani SS, Kohjoma M, Nakaike T (2000) Status of medicinal Plants in Pakistani Hindu-Kush Himalayas. Nepal-Japan Joint Symposium on Conservation of Natural Medicinal Resources and their Utilization, Kathmandu-Nepal, Nov. 5–11, 2000. pp 235–242.
Shinwari ZK, Khan AA, Nakaike K (2003) Medicinal and other useful plants of District Swat, Pakistan. Al Aziz Communication, Peshawar
Stewart RR (1972) An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of West Pakistan and Kashmir (Flora of West Pakistan). Fakhri, Karachi
Walther GR (2010) Community and ecosystem responses to recent climate change. Philos Trans R Soc B-Biol Sci 365:2019–2024
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ahmad, M., Bano, A., Zafar, M., Sultana, S., Rashid, S. (2015). Interdependence of Biodiversity, Applied Ethnobotany, and Conservation in Higher Ecosystems of Northern Pakistan Under Fast Climatic Changes. In: Öztürk, M., Hakeem, K., Faridah-Hanum, I., Efe, R. (eds) Climate Change Impacts on High-Altitude Ecosystems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12859-7_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12859-7_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12858-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12859-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)