Landslides

Landslides are mass movements of rock, debris or earth that may be triggered by other natural hazards such as earthquakes or heavy rainfall. Modern land-use practices and deforestation have increased their frequency.

FAO is a member of the International Consortium on Landslides and is contributing to the International Programme on Landslides by integrating livelihoods, watershed management and forest conservation issues.

Landslip stabilization and rehabilitation in post-earthquake Pakistan

FAO is adopting the Collaborative Watershed Management Approach within the post-earthquake Livelihood Rehabilitation Strategy in Pakistan. Sustainable and diversified cropping will be promoted on agricultural land to increase productivity and incomes. This would in turn stop farmers shifting cropping to higher, steeply sloping and more critical subwatershed areas.

Farm and community forestry is promoted in order to:

• plant fast-growing, multipurpose trees on degraded private and communal rangelands
• cater for timber, fuelwood and fodder
• reduce pressure on natural vegetation

In the degraded forests of watershed areas, natural regeneration is encouraged through reforestation and controlled grazing.