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Desert Ecosystem Management: A Sustainable and Wise Use

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Ecosystem Functions and Management

Abstract

Rapid growth of the world population, started in 1950, resulted in an estimated recent population of more than seven billion. Indian sub-continent is the most densely populated and fastest growing region. The desert ecosystem encompasses some 313,851 km2 area including Thar, Kharan, Cholistan, Thal and Indus valley plains in this region. The biodiversity includes some estimated 764 species of desert flora and 769 species of fauna, which includes 123 mammals, 540 birds, 96 reptiles and 10 amphibians. The desert dwellers lead a nomadic to semi-nomadic life, moving from one place to another in search of water and fodder for their animals and trade. Deserts are already the most fragile ecosystems and facing an unprecedented vulnerability mainly due global warming phenomena by pushing its biological resources to their limits. There is a dire need to wisely use desert resources on sustainable basis, so that a symbiotic relationship between man and ecosystem may be guaranteed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan, 32200, Pakistan

    Aleem Ahmed Khan

  2. Department of Life Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan

    Tahira Ruby & Nargis Naz

  3. Department of Forestry, Range and Wildlife Management, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan

    Muhammad Rafay

Authors
  1. Aleem Ahmed Khan
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  2. Tahira Ruby
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  3. Nargis Naz
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  4. Muhammad Rafay
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tahira Ruby .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of the Environment, Flinders University, South Australia School of the Environment, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Harpinder Sandhu

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Khan, A.A., Ruby, T., Naz, N., Rafay, M. (2017). Desert Ecosystem Management: A Sustainable and Wise Use. In: Sandhu, H. (eds) Ecosystem Functions and Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53967-6_5

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