DEFORESTATION
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Deforestation is occurring in Pakistan but not more than other countries like Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Egypt and Argentina, etc. The Federal Bureau of Statistics provisionally valued this sector at Rs.25,637 million in 2005 thus registering over 3% decline of forests in Pakistan since 2000. The main reasons of deforestation are urbanization, farming, overgrazing, global warming, and tourism development. This has led to severe consequences of desertification, flooding and endangering of wildlife. As a consequence to deforestation and changing land use patterns, the most critically affected ecosystems of Pakistan are:
- Juniper forests of northern Balochistan, have been heavily harvested for timber and fuelwood.
- Indus River riparian zone is the other such area where ecological changes have drastically affected the 'Riverain Forests'. Large tracts have been cleared for agriculture.
- The Himalayan temperate forests are also under severe pressure from logging for timber and firewood and making clearings for agriculture and the increasing population pressure.