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II. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
[ II | II-A | II-B
| II-C | II-D
| II-E | II-F
| II-G | II-H |
II-I | II-J ]
A. Major green environmental problems and causes
[ A | A-1 | A-2
| A-3 | A-4 | A-5
| A-6 ]
3. Range-land degradation
A very large livestock population and excessive grazing, and over-harvesting of natural vegetation are the main causes of range-land degradation in NWFP. It has been estimated that the carrying capacity of the Hazara civil division is 548,000 animals. The grazing land in Hazara now supports about 1,672,000 animals which is almost three times higher than the carrying capacity. Of the 5 million hectares of grazing land in NWFP, 4.5 million hectares are so depleted that there is little or no sign of vegetation. Bare soil dominates the surface during the dry season. Unfortunately, with the demise of the traditional social structure, free grazing has become widespread; the result is the destruction of the range-land and its biodiversity, and worsening the already high rate of soil erosion.
Marginalized agriculture is another factor contributing to the decline of range-land areas. Despite the serious environmental problems caused by excessive overgrazing little has been done, to date, to rehabilitate depleted range-land. The introduction of exotic grass and plant species has not met local needs. In order to rehabilitate range-land it is imperative to strengthen local institutions with the participation of the local population and local NGOs, find ways of introducing viable land tenure, establish privatization or the division of common land among owners, encourage agriculture and livestock practices such as controlled grazing, and provide opportunities for local employment and income generation.
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