Assessing and Mapping the Impact of Tourism and Changing Climatic Conditions in Himalayan Region of Pakistan
Abstract
Khaghan and Naran Valley of Pakistan are popular tourist mountainous region and face direct impacts of environmental degradation in past years. The current study aims to map the impacts of tourism on the local community and how it has affected the environmental settings. Mixed method approach was utilized including questionnaire survey; meteorological records, focused group interviews and mapping the land cover changes using satellite imagery. Meteorological data shows anomaly in rainfall patterns and extreme temperature which can be considered as climatic pressures on fragile environment. Spearman’s correlation showed that environmental degradation was linked with increased tourism activities in the region. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) shows an increasing trend of land degradation by the conversion of forested areas into settlements. Considering the significant magnitude of degradation over the last decade, appropriate and urgent actions are needed to address the growing demand of the tourism sector.
References
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[40] The News. 2021. Kaghan Valley receives high number of tourists. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/868524-kaghan-valley-receives-high-number-of-tourists
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[2] Ali, S.I. and Qaiser, M. A. 1986. Phyto-Geographical analysis of the Phenerogames of Pakistan and Kashmir. Proc. R. Soc. Edinburgh, 89: 89-101. DOI: http:/doi.org/10.1017/S0269727000008939
[3] Alipour, H. and Olya, H.G.T. 2015. Sustainable planning model toward reviving Lake Urmia. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 31(4): 519-539. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2014.949636
[4] Arif, A.M., Khan, S. and Samad, A. 2019a. Tourism problems in Pakistan: An analysis of earlier investigations. WALIA Journal, 35(1): 122-126.
[5] Arif, A.M., Khan, S. and Samad, A. 2019b. Problems caused by tourism in Kaghan Valley, Pakistan: A study based on local community perception. Global Social Sciences Review (GSSR), 4(3): 284–291. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-III).37
[6] Azam, M., Alam, M. and Haroon, M. 2018. Effect of tourism on environmental pollution: further evidence from Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. J. Clean. Prod, 190: 330-338. DOI:http:/doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.168
[7] Danish and Wang, Z. 2019. Dynamic relationship between tourism, economic growth and environmental quality. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(11): 1928-1943. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1526293
[8] Foody, G.M. 2002. Status of land covers classification accuracy assessment. Remote Sens. Environ, 80: 185–201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(01)00295-4
[9] Giddy, J. K. and Webb, N.L. 2016. The influence of the environment on adventure tourism: From motivations to experiences. Current Issues in Tourism, 21(18): 2132–2146. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2016.1245715
[10] Goldbulm, C. and Wong, T. C. 2000. Growth, crisis and spatial change: A study of haphazard urbanization in Jakarta, Indonesia. Land Use Policy, 17(1): 29-37. DOI: http:/doi.org/10.1016/S0264-8377(99)00043-5
[11] Hastings, D. 2013. Combating Visitor Pressure: Impact of Tourism on the Conservation of World Heritage Sites. Master’s Thesis, University of Washington, DC, (15th November 2013). Available at: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/27123/Hastings_washington_0250O_13213.pdf?sequence=1
[12] Heenehan, H., et al. 2015. Using Ostrom's common-pool resource theory to build toward an integrated ecosystembased sustainable cetacean tourism system in Hawaii. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 23(4): 536-556. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2014.986490
[13] Hoffman, M. T. and Todd, S. 2000. A national review of land degradation in South Africa. The influence of biophysical and socio - economic factors. J. Southern Afr. Studies, 26(4): 743–758. DOI:http:/doi.org/10.1080/713683611
[14] Juan, He. and Xueyi, Shi. 2022. Detection of social-ecological drivers and impact thresholds of ecological degradation and ecological restoration in the last three decades. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol 318:115-513. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115513
[15] Kuvan, Y. 2012. Assessing the impacts of tourism on forests: Mass tourism and policy in Turkey. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 11(8): 1415-1424. DOI:https://doi.org/10.30638/eemj.2012.176
[16] Le, Q. B., Nkonya, E. and Mirzabaev, A. 2016. Biomass productivity-based mapping of global land degradation hotspots. In: Nkonya E, Mirzabaev A, Von Braun J, (eds) Economics of land degradation and improvement-A global assessment for sustainable development, 2nd ed. Springer: Switzerland, Europe, 2: 55–84.
[17] Lemma, A. F. 2021. Tourism impacts: Evidence of impacts on employment, gender, income. EPS PEAKS, UK. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a089f2ed915d622c000495/Tourism_Impacts_employment_gender_income_A_Lemma.pdf
[18] Lu, D., Mausel, P., Brondízio, E. and Moran, E. 2004. Change detection techniques. Int. J. Remote Sens, 25: 2365–2401. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0143116031000139863
[19] Mythili, G. and Goedecke, J. 2016. Economics of land degradation in India. In: Nkonya E, Mirzabaev A, von Braun J (eds) Economics of land degradation and improvement – A global assessment for sustainable development. 3rd eds; Springer: Cham, 2, 320-345. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19168-3_15
[20] Naidoo, R. and Burton, A. C. 2020. Relative effects of recreational activities on a temperate terrestrial wildlife assemblage. Conservation Science and Practice, 2(10): 200-271. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.271
[21] Nkonya, E., et al. 2013. Economics of Land Degradation Initiative: Methods and Approach for Global and National Assessments. ZEF - Discussion Papers on Development Policy. 183, Center for Development Research, Bonn, October 2013: pp. 1-41.
[22] Qamer, F. M., et al. 2016. Mapping deforestation and forest degradation patterns in Western Himalaya, Pakistan. Remote Sens, 8(5): 385-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8050385
[23] Quarmby, N. A. and Cushnie, J. L. 2010. Monitoring urban land cover changes at the urban fringe from spot HRV imagery in South-East England. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 10: 953-963.
[24] Ram, B. and Kolakar, A. S. 2007. Remote sensing application in monitoring and land-use change in arid Rajasthan. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 14(17): 3191-3200. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/01431169308904433
[25] Rashid, W., et al. 2019. Making goat herders as scape goats for high-altitude pasture degradation: a case study of Haripur-Naran pastoral system in northern Pakistan. The Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 29(4): 953-963.
[26] Schickhoff, U. 1995. Himalayan forest-cover changes in historical perspective: A case study in the Kaghan Valley. Northern Pakistan. Mountain Research and Development 15(1): 2-18. DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3673697
[27] Semernya, L., Ramola, A., Alfthan, B. and Giacovelli, C. 2017. Waste management outlook for mountain regions: Sources and solutions. Waste Management and Research, 35(1): 73-117. DOI:https//:doi.org.10.1177/0734242X17709910
[28] Shahzad, L., et al. 2019. Does livelihood vulnerability index justify the social-economic status of mountainous community? A case study of post-earthquake ecological adaptation of Balakot population. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 17(3): 6605-6624. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1703_66056624
[29] Singh, A. 1989. Digital change detection techniques using remotely sensed data. Int. J. Remote Sens, 10(6): 989–1003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01431168908903939
[30] Stevens, S. 2003. Tourism and Deforestation in the Mt Everest Region of Nepal. The Geographical Journal, 169(3): 255–277. DOI: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3451451
[31] Stewart, N., Thomas, R. and Schauer, M. 2015. Introduction In: Stewart N (eds) The value of land: Prosperous lands and positive rewards through sustainable land management, 2nd eds.; Bonn: ELD Initiative, 1: 8–23. Available at: www.eld-initiative.org
[32] Tucker, C. J., Dregden, H. E. and Newcomb, W. W. 1991. Expansion and contraction of the Sahara Desert from 1989 to 1990. Science 255: 299-301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.253.5017.299
[33] Turner, B. L. and Meyer, W. B. 1995. Global land use and land-cover change: an overview. In: Meyer W and Turner BL (eds) Change in land use and land cover: A global perspective, 2nd ed.; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 3: pp. 3-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2996094
[34] Vlek, P. L. G., Le, Q. B. and Tamene, L. 2010. Assessment of land degradation, its possible causes and threat to food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Lal R., Stewart BA (eds) Advances in soil science: Food security and soil quality, 2nd eds. CRC Press: Boca Raton, 57 – 86. DOI:10.1201/EBK1439800577-c4
[35] Wang, Y. 2002. Environmental degradation and environmental threats in China. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 90(1-3): 161–169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/b:emas.0000003576.36834.c9
[36] Watson, H. D. 2015. (eds). Gazetteer of the Hazara District. Under the Authority of the Northwest Frontier Province Government. 1(A), London. Available at: https://ia601605.us.archive.org/16/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.31463/2015.31463Gazetteer-Of-The-Hazara-District-1907.pdf
[37] Yi, H. L. and Tsung, H. L. 2019. How do recreation experiences affect visitors’ environmentally responsible behavior? Evidence from recreationists visiting ancient trails in Taiwan. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(5): 705–726. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1701679
[38] Zhang, K., et al. 2007. Land use change and land degradation in China from 1991 to 2001. Land Degradation & Development, 18(2): 209–219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.757
[39] The Nation. 2019. 40,000 tourists visited Naran, Kaghan. Available at: https://nation.com.pk/10-Jun-2019/400-000-tourists-visited-naran-kaghan
[40] The News. 2021. Kaghan Valley receives high number of tourists. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/868524-kaghan-valley-receives-high-number-of-tourists
[41] UNEP. 2007. Global Environmental Outlook GEO-4, UN Environment Programme, Nairobi. Available at: https://www.unep.org/resources/global-environment-outlook-4 (20th October 2020)
Published
2023-06-02
How to Cite
YASIN, Asma et al.
Assessing and Mapping the Impact of Tourism and Changing Climatic Conditions in Himalayan Region of Pakistan.
Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 14, n. 3, p. 605 - 622, june 2023.
ISSN 2068-7729.
Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/7786>. Date accessed: 19 apr. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v14.3(67).01.
Section
Article
Copyright© 2023 The Author(s). Published by ASERS Publishing 2023. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of CC-BY 4.0 license.