EASTERN HINDUKUSH IN TRANSITION: SOCIO-PHYSICAL CHANGES AND THEIR IMPACTS ON NATURAL RESOURCES IN DIR VALLEY, NORTHERN PAKISTAN
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Date
2015
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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR
Abstract
Change and transformation in mountainous areas has become a subject of interest for scholars
and scientists in the recent past and extensive research has been conducted on this issue around
the world. There are three interlinked systems in the context of global change research in
mountains i.e. the biophysical system; the socio-cultural system; and the natural resource
management system, where any change in one system triggers off changes in the others. The
existing literature reveals that in the past few decades a number of changes have occurred in
various aspects of environment of the northern mountainous belt of Pakistan. These changes
have occurred in a very short period of time driven by various natural and anthropogenic forces,
and are still going on.
The present study aims to study the phenomenon and consequences of changes in Dir Valley
located in the Hindu Raj off-shoots of the eastern Hindukush Mountains. This region offers a
wide potential for research in various sectors of life and environment. However, it is still
unexplored and research activities are almost negligible. This research is focused on three broad
aspects of change i.e. change in physical conditions; change in social setup; and the
consequential impacts of these changes on natural resources and resource management strategies.
Different tools and techniques were used for the collection and analysis of data regarding the
above mentioned three different sets of variables.
For a detail insight and in-depth study, five villages (sub-valleys) were selected besides an
overview of the social and physical conditions of whole Dir valley. Two important variables i.e.
availability and distribution of land and forest resources were determined using GIS. A
questionnaire survey was carried out in the sample sites asking questions about various aspects
of the socio-economic setup. Besides questionnaire survey, interviews and focused group
discussions (FGDs) were also conducted in the selected sub-valleys. The interviews and FGDs
were focusing on the indigenous resource management strategies adapted by the community and
the temporal changes that have occurred in these mechanisms.