Impact assessment of slope stabilization measures on vegetation attributes in Kalam forest division
Impact assessment of slope stabilization measures on vegetation attributes in Kalam forest division
Ashar Farooq1 and Shakeel Ahmad2
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the various vegetation attributes regarding slope stabilization measures carried out in Kalam Forest Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Billion Tree Afforestation Project certain targets were given to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department for bad land stabilization. In Kalam Forest Division, total four sites were treated with bad land stabilization techniques in Asrait, Niam, Kullaly, and Dabargai localities respectively. In all these areas, the techniques adopted include Check Dams, Diversion Channels, Vegetated Soft Gabions, Plantations, and Protection Walls etc. The data were collected using two stage sampling technique. In the first stage, circular sample plots having an area of 0.1 ha, with the sampling intensity of 5% were laid out. The vegetation parameters were studied in square quadrats with area of 1 meter square. During data collection, the vegetation density, cover (%), relative density and species composition were determined. Secondary data regarding rehabilitation of degraded slopes were also collected. Results revealed that slope stabilization measures have significant positive effect on vegetation parameters. The statistics show that the cover percent at Asrait, Niam, Kullaly and Dabargai sites was 55.5%. 51.4%, 41.4%, and 24.3% respectively. At Asrait site, 62.53% were planted species and 37.46% were indigenous; at Niam site, the planted species were 37.98% and 62% were indigenous; in Kullaly site, 63.4% were planted species and 36.57% were indigenous; in Dabargai site 91.25% were planted species and 8.93% were indigenous. Physical inspection of sites depicted that the techniques adopted to rehabilitate degraded slopes are very effective and no land slide occurred after rehabilitation of degraded slopes.
Keywords: Degraded slopes, Land stabilization measures, Afforestation, Species composition.
Keywords: Degraded slopes, Land stabilization measures, Afforestation, Species composition.
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June 2020
Vol. 70, Iss. 2
