Abstract
Wetlands as natural biomes are threatened globally due to population growth and unsustainable development. The rate and magnitude of climate change have as well major impacts on wetlands and their resources due to changes in the hydrological cycle. A number of wetlands have been replaced to meet the food production demand and agricultural practices in the twentieth century. Pakistan, an arid climate, supports over 7,800,000 ha of inland wetlands and 250,000 ha of coastal mangroves and swamps, of which 225 are of national significance while 19 have been identified as Ramsar sites. In this chapter, spatiotemporal changes in Wetland Complex are assessed by the authors in the central north region of the Punjab province of Pakistan, known by the name of Salt Range Wetlands Complex (SRWC). It is a 175 km thrust between the foot hills of Himalayan Mountains and Indus plains extending from Jhelum in the east and Kala Bagh in the west. This chapter is designed to comprehend the climatic trends of SRWC and spatiotemporal change detection in the area of lakes over the period 1987–2014. Predictive assessment due to changing climate scenarios has also been discussed. The vulnerability of the area toward natural disasters, including droughts and floods, drew our attention to address this topic in response to giving high priority to wetlands for achieving sustainable development goals #2, #6, and #12. An increase in the average annual rainfall pattern from the year 1985 to 2014, while a decrease in temperature and potential evapotranspiration, was observed using the Climate Research Unit (CRU) data. The change detection analysis has revealed the increase in agricultural, uncultivated, built-up areas and water bodies with reduction in forest and scrub area. The expansion in the Namal Lake (26 ha), Jahlar Lake (3 ha), and Kallar Kahar Lake (162 ha) has been examined. However, Ucchali and Khabekki Lakes were compressed to 176 and 120 ha, respectively. Predictions using Representative Concentration Pathways 4.5 and 8.5 reveal stress on water resource in future (2010–2050).
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Notes
- 1.
Inland wetlands are floodplain wetlands along rivers which include wet meadows and marshes.
- 2.
Shrubs or small trees forests grow in the salty or brackish water of coast.
- 3.
Areas permanently saturated with water; Swamp is a forested wetland.
- 4.
Ucchali, Jahlar and khabekki lakes designated as a Wetlands Complex with International Importance under the Ramsar Convention along with eighteen other wetlands in Pakistan.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Research and Development Division of Pakistan for their cooperation in providing climatic data and guidance during the conduct of this research.
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Ali, S.M., Aslam, S., Islam, A., Afzaal, M. (2022). Land Use Land Cover Change in Salt Range Wetlands Complex of Pakistan in Response to Climate Change. In: Behnassi, M., Gupta, H., Barjees Baig, M., Noorka, I.R. (eds) The Food Security, Biodiversity, and Climate Nexus. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12586-7_22
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