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Gaps
in Data
Rao and Marwat (2003)
mention that great difficulty has
been experienced in collecting relevant
documents and data, and the authenticity
of some of them is doubtful. There
are many different statistics floating
around in different reports. The
following gaps have been identified:
Scientific
forest research
Very little research work has been
undertaken in the forests of Northern
Areas. No detailed scientific data
is available on the forests except
in the form of checklists and some
isolated studies on tree biomass
and tree diseases. The distribution
and status of forest biodiversity
in Northern Areas needs to be investigated
in detail.
Conditions
of forests
Systemic surveys to assess the conditions
of forests in the Northern Areas
have not been undertaken so far.
This information is important to
successful forest management plans.
Chilgoza
and Juniper forests
There is absence of data on these
two forests which constitute an
important aspect of the forest resource
of the Northern Areas
Classification
of the scrub forests
Further classification of this forest
type is lacking and needs to be
carried out since scrub forests
are an integral part of the Northern
Areas eco-regions.
Remote
forests
Although some forest data is available
for the easily accessed valleys,
most of the remote valleys remain
under-explored for forests. They
should be more fully investigated
to get a more complete picture of
the forest resources of the Northern
Areas.
Condition
of rangelands
General observations about the condition
of rangelands and pastures abound
but there is little scientific information
on their conditions. Such information
is necessary for future planning
to improve rangelands in the Northern
Areas.
Animal
health
The issue of rangeland degradation
on animal health requires more attention.
Data on this issue needs to be generated
because animal health is very important
to their productivity and that in
turn determines the income potential
of indigenous populations.
Surrounding
habitats
The effects of over-grazing on surrounding
habitats should also be investigated.
When pastures are over-grazed the
animals tend to wander into adjacent
land which might be forests or other
rangelands. That in turn degrades
these systems. Such information
is needed for proper natural resource
management in Northern Areas.
Livestock
population changes
There is disagreement over whether
livestock has increased or decreased
over the past few decades in the
Northern Areas. The situation might
be that in some valleys it has increased
and in others it has decreased.
Therefore this gap in information
should be filled through systematic
studies on livestock population
changes in different valleys of
the region.
Livestock
and wildlife
Where livestock and wildlife co-exist,
there can be competition for the
same resources or wildlife may be
under threat from herdsmen who want
to protect their animals from predators.
Data on this aspect needs to be
generated for better management
of both livestock and wildlife.
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