Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy - IUCN

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2.1
I S S U E S & T R E N D S I N S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T
MAJOR NATURAL
RESOURCE USE ISSUES
2.1.1
Overview of Land Use
Agriculture, forestry, and grazing are the major land
uses in the North West Frontier Province. The total geographic
area of about 10.17 million hectares is apportioned
among the various uses listed in Table 2.1.
About 17% of the province is forested with trees
of varying density and age, and nine major vegetation
types have been recognized. The forests, in particular,
protect the country's fragile watersheds,
which yield power and water for the large agricultural
economy of the rest of Pakistan. The NWFP also
has rich wildlife and plant resources. They have seldom
been systematically studied, however, and there
is increasing evidence that many animal and plant
species are on the decline.
Based on the geology and physiography, the
soils of the NWFP are generally categorized into
colluvial soils on mountain slopes, fans and terraces,
alluvial plains in the central valley, and loess
plains in the Kabul River drainage. The sharp altitudinal
variation causes a large variation in climate
between the hot, arid zone in the south and the
10 SARHAD PROVINCIAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY
cold, humid north. The northern mountains form a
high-altitude cold desert. Average annual temperatures
vary between 5.9 0 C (Dir) and 31.2 0 C
(D.I. Khan). The average annual rainfall ranges
between 227 millimetres in Peshawar to 1,240 millimetres
in Dir.
Surface and groundwater are abundant in the
northern part of the NWFP, while in the south,
groundwater is brackish and in short supply. Most of
the northern rivers have glacier sources. The rain-fed
streams in the south are often seasonal. Surface as
well as groundwater is largely used for irrigation. As
a tributary of the Indus river, the NWFP's rivers and
canals are part of the oldest and most intensively cultivated
ecosystem on earth. About 83% of the irrigated
area is supplied by Government and private canals,
while 9%, 5%, and 3% are provided with water from,
respectively, tube wells, surface wells, and miscellaneous
sources.
The ecosystems of the NWFP are described in
detail in the companion volume to this report, the
Environmental Profile. Developed largely from secondary
source materials, the profile identifies many
environmental problems that are discussed here in the
Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy (SPCS). This
report, however, is designed to address a broader
range of sustainable development themes that have
been identified by the people of the NWFP. Indeed,
many people have suggested that as a result of the
CURRENT LAND USE TABLE
LAND USE AREA GEOGRAPHICAL AREA
(million hectares) (%)
Cultivated 1.92 1 19
Culturable, not cultivated 0.04 ––
Forest 1.72 2 17
Grazing land 1.78 18
Agriculturally unproductive 2.97 29
Unclassified & unsurveyed 1.74 17
Total 10.17
Source: A. Mian & M.Y.J. Mirza. 1993. Pakistan's Soil Resources, Pakistan National Conservation Strategy, Sector Paper 4. IUCN Pakistan, Karachi.
1 Government of Pakistan, 1995.
2 Government of NWFP, 1995b.
2.1