Natural Vegetation

Pakistan Studies

Syed Hasan i
NATURAL VEGETATION
 It consist of plants planted naturally not by people.
 Each natural vegetation has its own varieties of plants.
 The type of plants grown are mainly dependent on the
amount of rainfall and particular temperature of a
place.
TYPES OF NATURAL VEGETATION
around the world

3 MAIN TYPES:

 FOREST

 GRASSLAND

 DESERT and SEMI DESERT VEGETATION

Forests

 Forests are extensive, continuous areas of land dominated

by trees. The desired level of forests is 20-30 percent of
the total area of a country. In Pakistan only about 4.8 % of
the total area is forested. There are two types of forests in
Pakistan
 • Productive Forests : These are mainly natural forests and
have high tree densities. Such forests have great
commercial value and are mainly used for extraction of
timber and other products.
 • Protection Forests : These forests are mainly planted by
people. They include planting along roads, in parks and
along railway lines. Protection forests have little
commercial values as they do not provide valuable species
of wood. There main function is to prevent soil erosion.
Types of Forests In Pakistan

 Alpine Forest
 Coniferous Forest
 Tropical Thorn Forest
 Sub Tropical Scrub Forest
 Mangrove
 Riverain forest
 Irrigated Plantation
Alpine Forest

 These forest are called alpine because they grow in

conditions similar to those in the Alps, a mountain range in
Europe.
 Alpine forests are found on the mountains of Gilgit-
Baltistan. In the region of high mountains there is snow, so
little or no vegetation is found here.
 Due to the very cold climate above a height of 4000
meters, trees do not grow properly. Some dwarfed trees of
silver fir, juniper, and birch grow here. Alpine forests are
found in a limited area in Chitral, Dir, Swat, and Gilgit.
 They normally have upward branches to attain more
sunlight.
 They are used as fuel wood only.
Coniferous Forest

 The coniferous forests occur from 1,000 to 4,000 m in

altitude. Chitral, Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, Malakand,
Mansehra and Abbottabad, districts of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, Rawalpindi and districts of the
Punjab are the main areas covered with coniferous forests.
 Coniferous forests are evergreen which survive in low
temperature. They are important source of timber for
making furniture and boxes.
 They are conical in shape and have sloping branches which
prevent snow accumulation.
 These type of forests are good breeding and conserving
centers for birds and wildlife.
 Coniferous forests add to the scenic beauty of the area,
attract tourists and promote tourism industry.
Tropical Thorn Forest

 The tropical thorn forests are dominated by xerophytic

scrubs. They are most widespread in the Punjab plains
but also occupy small areas in southern Sindh and
western Baluchistan. They are mainly used for grazing
purposes, watershed protection and fuelwood. The
usual height is 6-9 m.
 • This is the natural vegetation over the whole of the
Indus Plains except for the driest parts. It merges into
the subtropical dry evergreen type of the lower hills to
the north and West generally.
 • They have deep roots to search for water.
Sub Tropical Scrub Forest

 Commonly these are known as scrub forests. These forest

consist of branchy trees forming a canopy if complete
closure or scattered trees with a shrub growth.
 These trees and shrubs are mostly thorny and evergreen,
but some ,like olive and pomegranate are not thorny.
 These scrub forest occurs at height of 1500-5000 feet.
These forests found in Gujrat, Margalla Hills, Attock and
Malakand. Actually broadly speaking, these forests occur
throughout the country at suitable elevation merging
downwards with the sub-tropical pine forest.
 They are used for grazing purposes and for supplying
firewood.
Mangrove Forest

 Mangroves are slat tolerant bush type trees which grow in inter-tidal
zones of tropical and subtropical areas, river deltas and along the
coasts.
 Mangroves forests of Pakistan in Indus delta and along Arabian Sea
coastal areas, as per estimates, are some 129,000 hectors in the Indus
delta and over 3,000 hectors in Gwadar bay areas.
 They are natural habitat to a large number of insects, micro organisms,
birds, different mammals as well as snakes. Mangrove areas act as
physical breeding grounds and nurseries for fish, shrimp and crabs.
During winters, many guest birds from north also come to breed here.
 The mangrove forests protect the coasts from dangerous cyclones and
hurricanes. Mangroves slow the water’s flow, helping to protect the
coastline and preventing erosion.
 They have broad leaves and leathery texture to minimize transpiration.
In better water areas the trees rise to 6-8 meters but their general
height is 3 meters.
 Mangroves are suppliers of firewood and timber for local communities.
Riverain Forest

 The riverine forests occur in the province of Sindh

along both banks of the Indus River. They rely on
inundation by the River for irrigation and therefore
their existence is heavily dependent on the intensity,
duration and frequency of river water flow.
 They provide Shishum and Babul, two valuable species
which are used for making furniture.
Irrigated Forest

 These are man made forests. They include plantation

along roads, in parks and along railway lines.
 Their main function is to protect the soil and to prevent
it from eroding. They keep the environment pleasant by
lowering the temperature and providing shade.
 They are important source of timber and firewood.
Eucalyptus is mainly preferred as they reduce
waterlogging and salinity.
 They also add to the scenic beauty of the area and
promote tourism. Leaves of trees provide food for
animals.
 Forests absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into
air
Changa Manga
Area of Forest In Pakistan

 The total area of forests in Pakistan is 4.224 million ha

which is 4.8% of the total land area.
 The farmland trees and linear planting along roadsides,
canal sides and railway sides covering an estimated area of
466,000 ha and 16,000 ha respectively do not constitute
forests within the context of legal, ecological or
silvicultural/management definition of forests.
 The situation is also similar, but to a lesser extent, in the
case of miscellaneous plantations over an area of 155,000
ha.
 If the area of these three categories of plantations is
excluded from total forest area of 4.224 million ha, then
the latter is reduced to 3.587 million ha which is
approximately 4.1 % of the total area.
Why Pakistan Needs Forest?

 From an ecological point of view, forests help to maintain a

balance in the environment by checking pollution and protecting
soil from erosion.
 By preventing soil erosion, the trees on slopes of hills also regulate
the supply of water to the reservoirs thereby reducing floods.
 Decomposition of leaves helps in humus formation, which maintains
the fertility of the soil. This ensures food supply to millions of
people.
 From a commercial and industrial point of view, forests provide raw
materials to various industries. They also promote tourism and
provide employment in the forest department.
 Forests help in preventing global warming. Increased amount of
carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere results in
greenhouse effect and thus causes global warming.
 Forests help in preventing global warming. Increased amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere results in greenhouse effect and
thus causes global warming.
Deforestation

 Clearing of forest land is called deforestation. Pakistan

is not self-sufficient in wood based products and spends
billions of rupees on import of wood and wood based
products. Pakistan’s forest resources are shrinking at a
rate of one percent which will have dreadful effects on
the people of Pakistan.
 Following are some of the main causes of this large scale
deforestation in Pakistan.
 • Clearing of land: Due to the construction of dams and
barrages to supply water to crops on millions of hectors,
most of the forest land is cleared. These construction of
barrages also serve as a cause of deforestation.
 • Urbanization: Sprawling growth of cities has converted
forests into cities thus losing the forest or decrease in
forest area.
 • Building of Roads: Building of roads in order to have
access to the far flung areas has also caused deforestation
especially in areas of Kohistan and Northern areas.
 • Industrialization: The increase in demand of industries
has also caused deforestation as most of the industries
require wood as their fuel. Wood industries such as hard
wood and safety match box, Plywood etc. have also played
their part in deforestation.
 • Overgrazing: Overgrazing of land by cattle, sheep and
goats have converted subtropical, and tropical thorn forest
areas into deserts.