A study on human livelihoods and impacts on the vegetation of Machiara National Park, District Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan | |
| Author | Dar, Muhammad Ejaz Ul Islam |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.NR-12-05 |
| Subject(s) | Vegetation mapping--Pakistan Machiara National Park (Pakistan) |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resources Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. NR-12-05 |
| Abstract | This study wascarried out in Machiara National Park (MNP) located in the District Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kasmir, Pakistan. MNPwas gazetted in 1996 with the aim to conserve an important temperate Western Himalayan ecosystem covering13,532 hectares. Situated adjacent to the park are 28 villages with an estimated population of 35,497 persons (at the end of 2004). The villagers are mostly engaged in subsistence agriculture and pastoralism, using and extracting plant resources also within the park, and thereby exerting considerable pressures on the natural vegetation. The objectives of this research were: (a) to assess the uses and dependenciesof local communities on natural plant resources (biomass for fuel and wood for construction, medicinal plants, food and fodder) (b) to assess the perception of local communities about environmental changes and their attitudes towards the MNP management,(c) to compare their perceptions with information on vegetation changes derived from the analysis of a sequence of Landsat satelliteimages from 1991, 1998, and 2009, and (d) to synthesise the findings and make specific recommendations on better management of plant resources within protected area.A total of 210 respondentswere interviewed in three villages (Bheri, Machiara and Jheeng) in each of the three union councils adjacent to MNP. Using household survey questionnairesdata were collected about plant resource use and extraction from MNP area, local people’s perception about resource use and a comparison on resource availability pattern currently and 30 years before. Landsat satellite images of 1992, 1998 and 2009 were acquired from Earth Resource Observation and Science Center (EROS). The images wereanalyzed for vegetationcover change before and after establishment of the protected area to verify people’s perception of resource degradation and actual land cover using remote sensing techniques. The results show that local inhabitants significantly rely on plant resources such as fuelwood, fodder, timber, medicinal plants and fruits and vegetables extracted from MNP area and these resources have beencontinuously degrading. These results obtained from questionnaire interviews and group discussions were also verified by Landsat Imagery analysis which also showsacontinuous degradation of forests and pasture lands inside as well as outside MNP. Local people’s participation in conservation activities is not as prominent as this area is managed by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Forest Department of the state and the non-cooperation between the two departments creates confusions and hinders the conservation activities in the area. Livestock grazing, herders activities, and illegal extraction of plant resources for medicinal plants, fuel and fodder species and timber were the main sources of degradation of the vegetation in the area. Local people’s perceptions about the protected area are divided. The inhabitants who get benefits from the protected area management consider it a good initiative and those who are deprived from the incentives provided perceive MNP as a problem source only. For the sustainable management of the park, efficient participation of local residents (community based management) in conservation activities should be implemented. |
| Year | 2012 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. NR-12-05 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Natural Resources Management (NRM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Cochard, Roland ;Shrestha, Rajendra Prasad (Co-Chairperson); |
| Examination Committee(s) | Tripathi, Nitin Kumar ;Grunbuhel, Clemens; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | UAJK ;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2012 |