Forests
1.1 Introduction
A forest is a complex ecosystem or assemblage of ecosystems dominated by trees and other woody vegetation. The living parts of a forest include trees, shrubs, vines, grasses and other herbaceous plants, mosses, algae, fungi, insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and microorganisms living on the plants and animals and in the soil and their interaction with one another and with the non-living part of the environment. The type of forest in a given area depends on many elements, including climate, soil, water source, rainfall patterns, seed sources and human influence. Forests provide habitats to diverse animal species, livelihood for different human settlements, watershed protection, timber and non-timber products, and various recreational options. They prevent soil erosion, help in maintaining the water cycle, and check global warming by using carbon dioxide in photosynthesis.
Pakistan forest resources are limited, covering only 4.8 percent of total land area, which is far below then the optimal standard of 25%, forest cover for a country. However scarce, forests of Pakistan are very rich in terms of biodiversity and present a unique blend of tree, shrub, grass and animal species, living across various ecological zones from sea level in the south, to high altitude alpine pastures of the north. Pakistan consists of alpine forests, temperate forests, sub-tropical forests, dry tropical forests and mangrove or coastal forests.
Mangroves are ever green forests between land and sea, found essentially in the intertidal zone and occupying large tracts along the shallow coasts, estuaries and in the deltas where they are influenced by tides, widely differing conditions of saline. The coastline of Pakistan spans a total area of about 1000 km, of which 241 km covers the province of Sindh on the south eastern side and 660km within the province of Baluchistan (western side) with 22,820 square kilometers of territorial waters and an Exclusive Economic
A forest is a complex ecosystem or assemblage of ecosystems dominated by trees and other woody vegetation. The living parts of a forest include trees, shrubs, vines, grasses and other herbaceous plants, mosses, algae, fungi, insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and microorganisms living on the plants and animals and in the soil and their interaction with one another and with the non-living part of the environment. The type of forest in a given area depends on many elements, including climate, soil, water source, rainfall patterns, seed sources and human influence. Forests provide habitats to diverse animal species, livelihood for different human settlements, watershed protection, timber and non-timber products, and various recreational options. They prevent soil erosion, help in maintaining the water cycle, and check global warming by using carbon dioxide in photosynthesis.
Pakistan forest resources are limited, covering only 4.8 percent of total land area, which is far below then the optimal standard of 25%, forest cover for a country. However scarce, forests of Pakistan are very rich in terms of biodiversity and present a unique blend of tree, shrub, grass and animal species, living across various ecological zones from sea level in the south, to high altitude alpine pastures of the north. Pakistan consists of alpine forests, temperate forests, sub-tropical forests, dry tropical forests and mangrove or coastal forests.
Mangroves are ever green forests between land and sea, found essentially in the intertidal zone and occupying large tracts along the shallow coasts, estuaries and in the deltas where they are influenced by tides, widely differing conditions of saline. The coastline of Pakistan spans a total area of about 1000 km, of which 241 km covers the province of Sindh on the south eastern side and 660km within the province of Baluchistan (western side) with 22,820 square kilometers of territorial waters and an Exclusive Economic