Climate Change and Biodiversity v

Overview 

The ongoing anthropogenic alterations of the Earth system, and especially the composition of bio-physical environment, and the characteristics of the land surface, have led to changes in global and regional climatic conditions. Such devastating consequences of changing climate are fueling natural catastrophes, environmental degradation, weather extremes, biodiversity loss, food and water uncertainty, economic disruption, conflict, and terrorism around the globe. There are many identifiable hazards and risks associated with the interactions between ecological systems and the changing climate: such as the provision of freshwater (including from the snow and glacier masses), forest resources (flora and fauna), livelihoods, microbial diversity and their governed elemental cycles, quality and quantity of food, and human well-being. The developing world often lacks the resilient resources to address the consequences of climatic change. Hence, the need for understanding of the interactions between the biodiversity and the climate is rendered more urgent by global commitments to conserve biodiversity and to limit climatic change to a specific level. Thus stimulated the needs to understand how the ecosystem responds to, or interact with, changes in the whole climate system and its variability at all-time scales. Biodiversity is substantial for diverse activities that support all life forms on earth, including humans, and a wide range of flora, fauna and microorganisms sustain the healthy ecosystems and environment. In addition to its contribution in socio-economic development, and adaptative responses to current challenges of climate change, biodiversity satisfies ≥ 80% needs of the poor population and contribute ≅ 40% in the world’s economy in terms of medical discoveries, food, foraging, timber, and non-timber products. Remote sensing (RS) and global information system (GIS) have wide applications and advantages in the field of environmental science and biodiversity conservation. RS and GIS are proficient and cost-effective techniques of acquiring timely data for the advancement and management of natural resources. These techniques provide holistic approach to investigate interrelationships within different biophysical components of environment. In this regard, CLIMATE CHANGE and BIODIVERSITY Research Group, offers new potentials to explore more explicitly the risks and hazards arising from the interactions between ecological systems and the changing climate. It also offers opportunities to combine relevant strengths in various fields of natural sciences viz. Biology, Botany, Microbiology, Zoology, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

 


Focus Areas

Focus Areas

  • Climate change, snow, and glacier hydrology
  • GIS and remote sensing applications
  • Biodiversity exploration, utilization, and conservation
  • Ethnobiology and Ethnoecology
  • Microbial ecology and Biogeochemical cycling
  • Antimicrobial resistome and environmental aspects
  • Food chain contamination and health risk assessment

Research Facilities

1.   Environmental Microbiology Lab. 

2.   Microbial ecology Lab.

3.   Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Lab.

4.   Biodiversity, Ethnobiology and Nutraceuticals Lab.  

5.   GIS & Remote Sensing Virtual Lab.

6. Graduate General Researh Lab.

7. Undergrade Gerenal Researh Lab. 

These labs are well equipped with UV-visible spectrophotometer (UV-S), real time PCR, Laminar flow cabinet, digital binocular microscope, Elisa plate reader, thermocycler, refrigerator (-80°C), Gel electrophoresis system, incubators, and GIS-Software (ArcGIS; ERDAS; QGIS).

Research Projects

International

  1. Glacier changes and associated hydrologic impact under warming climate in Hunza Valley along the Sino-Pakistan Economic Corridor. NSFC China-ICIMOD. PI: Dr. Adnan A. Tahir
  2. Energy and Raw Material Recovery from Treatment Sludge as a Conceptual of Zero Waste. ANSO. PI: Dr. Rashid Nazir
  3. Potential severity of antimicrobial resistance in context of COVID-19 pandemic and phage-assisted biocontrol: one health approach in Benin and Pakistan. IsDB-TWAS. PI: Dr. Rashid Nazir
  4. Spatio-temporal glacier variation and its influence on the water availability in Hunza Basin along the CPEC route; NSFC-PSF. PI: Dr. Adnan A. Tahir
  5. Flavoring Compounds/Polyphenolics in Aromatic Plants of the Himalayan Region-Pakistan. Technology Development Project. Kaihong Flavour & Fragrance Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China. PI: Dr. Arshad Mehmood Abbasi
  6. Skin care efficacy of medicinal plants from Himalayan region. Technology Development Project. Guangdong Biotechnology Co., Ltd. China. PI: Dr. Arshad Mehmood Abbasi
  7. Intercropping Systems, CPEC initiative Completed. China, PI: Dr. Usman Irshad
  8. Impact of veterinary medicines on anaerobic digestion efficiency to generate biogas and potential spread of environmental multidrug resistance. TWAS. PI: Dr. Rashid Nazir

National