The forest and climate changes in Pakistan
The forest and climate changes in Pakistan
K. M. Siddiqui
ABSTRACT
Forest and climate are closely related; and change in
either of these affects the other. When climate changes,
it tends to bring about many direct and indirect changes
in the environment, including in forest ecosystems, the
extent of which depends upon rapidity, direction and
magnitude of climate change. Minor changes in climate
often occur and are of diurnal, seasonal of decadal and/or of regional nature, such as hot summer droughts of
the 1980s in parts of Asia and Africa. Their affect was
similar in nature. Climate has also changed in the
distant past. Since the depth of the
little Ice agein 1700 A.D., the average temperature has risen by 1.5°C in northern Europe without any noticeable effect on forests. On the other hand, when 5°C warming occurred between 15,000 and 7000 year ago, it caused major changes in the distribution and abundance of forest tree species in some regions of Northern Hemisphere. Similarly, there is evidence to believe that climate has changed in some parts of the world as a result of disappearance of forests. This paper briefly discusses the changes in climate over major parts of Pakistan in the past due to clearance of forests and assesses impact of future climate changes on the remaining forests and future of forestry on the country if present rate of deforestation continues.
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March 1991
Vol. 41, Iss. 1
