The inspiration behind Poisoned Land: Vegetation of Disturbed and Polluted Areas in Pakistan arose from the dire situation of the world's decaying environment and how pollution is impacting plants. Anthropological activities are altering the current status of flora and fauna of Pakistan.The alarming changes in nature, with its ensuing structure and composition of vegetation due to environmental pollution brought about the research for this book, as there is scant literature on the impact of pollution on plant communities.The description of nature, and the structure and composition of vegetation is very complex. Ever-increasing pollutants are leading to an unhealthy environment for living organisms, calling for there to be changes toward a healthier environment.Born in Sialkot, Pakistan, Dr. Muhammad Shafiq migrated to Karachi, where he recently retired from government service.The author's hobbies include scientific research on botany, travel, and listening to music.In this book, editors have attempted to categorize different aspects of environmental issues affecting plant communities. The subject matter provides an interesting snapshot into the impact of environmental pollutants on vegetation.The response of plant communities to pollutant stress depends upon the nature of toxicity, tolerance and interaction of underlying edaphic factors. Disturbed areas considered those, where the integrity of the natural setting and natural system processes has been directly or indirectly affected by human activities. The nature, structure and composition of vegetation in disturbed and polluted areas in Pakistan reported in this book. Many species in and around the industrial units and polluted areas are affected by anthropogenic and industrial activities. The species having first dominant position in some stands are found attaining the second or third dominant position in other stands due to changes in prevailing environmental conditions. This book provides some useful information about the impact of pollutants on plant communities for researchers and general readers. Data analysis helps in understanding about the dissimilarities in species composition and the relative influence of the most important environmental variables within the area. Literature dealing with the plant ecology of Pakistan shows that very little work has been done on the studies of plant communities in polluted and disturbed areas of the country. An effort has been undertaken through the available survey of literature to report the vegetation characteristics of the disturbed and polluted areas and its ecological characteristics.
