Population growth poses a significant threat to forest ecosystems: A case study from the Hindukush-Himalayas of Pakistan.

Autor: Alam N; Institute of Forest Sciences, University of Swat, Charbagh, Pakistan., Ullah Z; Center for Plant Sciences and Biodiversity, University of Swat, Charbagh, Pakistan., Ahmad B; Institute of Forest Sciences, University of Swat, Charbagh, Pakistan., Ali A; Center for Plant Sciences and Biodiversity, University of Swat, Charbagh, Pakistan., Syed K; Center for Plant Sciences and Biodiversity, University of Swat, Charbagh, Pakistan.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PloS one [PLoS One] 2024 Nov 25; Vol. 19 (11), pp. e0302192. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Nov 25 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302192
Abstrakt: Human population growth and the accompanying increase in anthropogenic activities pose a significant threat to forest ecosystems by reducing the natural services these ecosystems provide. Malam Jabba, located in the District Swat of Pakistan's Hindukush-Himalayan temperate zone, is known for its ecotourism, skiing, timber-producing tree species, medicinal plants, and unique biodiversity. However, a large portion of Swat Valley's population depends on the Malam Jabba forests for timber and fuelwood. This study investigates how deforestation rates have increased in response to the growing human population in Malam Jabba, District Swat. To monitor forest cover changes, we used remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) tools. Vegetation analysis was conducted using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) based on multi-temporal satellite imagery from 1980, 2000, and 2020. Using a decay model, we calculated the deforestation rate from 1980 to 2020 and projected future rates using MATLAB, based on anticipated population growth. Our results show that over the last two decades, the average annual deforestation rate rose from 0.7% to 1.93%, coinciding with a population increase from 1.2 million to 2.3 million at a growth rate of 9% per year. Projections indicate that the deforestation rate will increase to 2.5% annually over the next 20 years, given the predicted 11.6% yearly population growth. Population growth in District Swat has severely endangered nearby forest ecosystems, and further increases in human activity, such as unsustainable tourism, fuel and timber collection, and urbanization, will likely exacerbate this trend. Based on our findings, we recommend: (i) the implementation of reforestation programs and sustainable forest resource use; (ii) the development of a long-term forest management plan that maintains equilibrium between forest density and population pressure; and (iii) prioritizing areas with extreme human impact for in-situ conservation efforts.
Competing Interests: Dear Editor, We, the authors of the manuscript entitled "Population growth poses a significant threat to forest ecosystems: a case study from the Hindukush-Himalayas of Pakistan," hereby express our collective agreement to submit this article for publication in PLOS ONE. We confirm that all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript. We wish to declare that there are no competing interests among the authors regarding the publication of this article. Additionally, we would like to bring to your attention that our institutions are geographically located in Research 4 Life countries (Group B), thereby qualifying for inclusion in partnership models for various PLOS journals, including PLOS ONE. As such, researchers affiliated with these institutions are exempt from publication fees at PLOS ONE. Thank you for considering our submission. Sincerely, Dr. Naveed Alam Dr. Bilal Ahmad Dr. Ahmad Ali Dr.Zahid Ullah Kashmala Syed This does not change our commitment to PLOS ONE’s policies on sharing data and materials.
(Copyright: © 2024 Alam et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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