Effect of Climate Change on Livestock Production in Pakistan

Abstract

The climate change is affecting the animal productivity especially in resource poor localities in the region. While most of the areas suffer from the insufficiencies of the data, a few scientific measurements in some areas have proved that the effect of climate changes are adversely affecting the livestock production directly due to heat stress or indirectly due to changes incorporated in the ecosystem. Some of these may include reduced agricultural productivity, deteriorated health due to shortage of feed resources, water quality, global warming, shrinking glaciers, erratic weathers, river floods, disease prevalence, disrupted ecosystem and increase in the frequency of natural hazards and disasters. Pakistan still suffers more than 30 % Crude Protein and TDN deficiency for large and small ruminants in its feed balance. The exact Information on the losses are very much undermined and not realized by many or sometimes sorely lacking. A detailed understanding is warranted to anticipate the future impacts of the climate change in different areas on the productivity of the ruminants. Unless these losses are realized and scientifically proved, the measures needed or taken will attain less significance. Our studies revealed that there is a drastic effect on temperature change on water buffaloes and their calves. When ambient temperature reached to 32-47º C with a mean relative humidity of 33-75%, the physiological norms of the buffalo calves were significantly affected and their weekly body weight decreased as 43 kg as compared to 46 kg under open air tree shade than inside a shed with showers plus ceiling fans, body temperature was higher 101.6ºF that 101.0ºF, respiration rate was higher 28 to 26 per minute, and the pulse rate increased to 53-54 per minute under treatment with open air tree shade as compared to inside with ceiling fans and showers. This paper will delineate in length some of the effects on livestock production due to climate change in a country like Pakistan where 35-40 million rural people derive their livelihood from livestock rearing. Mitigation measures will also be suggested to save productivity losses to ensure the food supply from animal origin for the exploding population.