Preface

The friendship between China and Pakistan has a long historical origin and deep cultural foundation.Pakistan is an important passage on the ancient Silk Road,where Peshawar,Karachi,and Kashgar are all vital nodes.China and Pakistan have been closely connected through the ancient Silk Road despite of challenging landscapes.It carries an extensive legacy in continuously enabling political exchanges,economic and trade transactions,as well as cross-cultural dialogues and amalgamation between the two countries.The ancient Silk Road underpins today’s comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Pakistan, and serves as the cornerstone for the establishment of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The CPEC starts from Kashgar in China and ends at the Gwadar Port in Pakistan,spanning a total length of 3,000 kilometers.By  connecting the  ‘Silk  Road  Economic  Belt’in  the  North  with  the  ’21st  Century  Maritime  Silk  Road’in  the  South,it serves as a crucial link between the Northern and Southern Silk Roads and a vital commercial route facilitating transportation and energy transfer.China regards the CPEC as the preeminent exemplary project and leading flagship endeavor of the ‘Belt and Road’Initiative.As early as February 2014,during the visit of Pakistani President Mr.Hussein to China,the two sides had already reached a consensus on accelerating the construction of the CPEC.The project aims to assist Pakistan in expanding and upgrading its infrastructure,as well as promoting and deepening cooperation between the two countries in areas conducive to their  interests,such  as  transportation,energy,maritime  affairs,security,economy,and   people’s  livelihood.The  CPEC  brought numerous employment opportunities and  huge economic  potential,providing  important avenues for  Pakistan’s development. It has also effectively aligned the development strategies of China and Pakistan,promoting their common development.The CPEC is not only of great significance to the socioeconomic development of China and Pakistan,but also for the regions of South Asia and Central Asia.It serves as a paradigm for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The CPEC faces complex geological and typographical conditions,a fragile ecological environment,frequent natural disasters,and severe impacts of climate change.While endowed with abundant natural resources,their exploitation poses significant challenges.The lack of robust regional systematic research and basic data accumulation,presents substantial obstacles to the development of CPEC to a large extent.Consequently,there is an immediate need for a comprehensive collection of regional geographic and resource-environmental baseline data to support the high-quality development of the CPEC.

A research team led by Professor Lei Shen from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR)at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)organized a multidisciplinary group comprising researchers from various CAS institutes,Pakistani scientists,and students.With the support of the China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences (CPJRC),the team set out to address the basic scientific data needs for CPEC construction.By leveraging their respective expertise and closely collaborating with local researchers,the team achieved a series of high-level results.They compiled a comprehensive assessment and zoning report titled ‘Atlas of Natural Resources and Green Development of China-Pakistan Economic  Corridor'(hereafter referred to as ‘the  Atlas’).Divided   into  five   parts  -Geographical  Situation,Natural   Resource Characteristics,Natural Resources and Geographical Features of the Sub-region,Overview of Major Cities,and Comprehensive Assessment and Zoning of Natural Resources and Green Development Potential -the Atlas serves as a major achievement of  the research team’s work and collaboration between scientists from China and Pakistan in the field of resource and environmental cooperation.

The Atlas utilizes remote sensing images combined with field surveys and relevant geographic information to depict various elements  of  the   CPEC  region.These  include  its  topography,landforms,vegetation,geological  structures,ecosystems,natural disasters,natural resource characteristics,and green development potential.The collection and processing of detailed,sophisticated satellite image data,supplemented by concise textual explanations,make the Atlas an invaluable reference material for providing relevant information on CPEC construction in the region.It presents comprehensive baseline data and a systematic  regional overview covering  infrastructure development,natural  resource  utilization,ecological environmental  protection and governance,desertification control,modernization,and green development in various areas of Pakistan.The Atlas serves as a significant scientific basis for promoting research on the CPEC region’s natural geographical conditions,resources,environment, ecosystems,and  socioeconomic  development.

The compilation of the Atlas embodies the principles of open collaboration,pioneering research,and a strong commitment to addressing the unique needs advocated by the CPJRC.This initiative represents a significant milestone in the domain of collaborative research,distinctly tailored to Pakistan’s specific needs.Pakistani researchers and students,pursuing their studies in China,have actively and significantly contributed to the creation of the Atlas and showcased remarkable progress in their endeavors.

I hope readers will use the Atlas to gain insights into geography,geology,landscapes,ecological environments,socioeconomic factors,and trends in the CPEC region.I also look forward to the Atlas serving as a valuable reference for relevant government departments in China and Pakistan,aiding decision-making in the areas of green development,natural resource planning,and comprehensive ecological environmental protection,ultimately providing strong scientific support for the construction and development of CPEC.

Peng Cui

Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences

June  30,2023

Introduction

In May 2013,during his visit to Pakistan,Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed building an economic artery starting north from Kashgar in China and ending south at Gwadar Port in Pakistan,to promote connectivity between the two countries.The CPEC Vision Plan was formally proposed,aiming to assist Pakistan in infrastructure expansion and upgrading;promote and deepen cooperation between  the  two  countries  in  the  fields  of  transportation,energy,maritime  affairs,security,and  economy;realize  effective  docking of development strategies and promote common development.At its core,the CPEC is a transportation and energy corridor that ex- tends from Gwadar Port in Pakistan to Karakorum Pass in western China.Various projects have been implemented,including infrastructure construction,energy investment,and industrial park development In 2013,Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the concept of the “Belt and  Road”initiative,and  regarded the CPEC as a  useful supplement to the “Belt and  Road”,further elevating the strategic importance of the CPEC.During Pakistani President Hussain’s visit to China in February 2014,China and Pakistan agreed to accelerate the construction of the CPEC.The “Vision and Actions for Promoting the Construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road’released in March 2015 clearly states that the two economic corridors of China-Pakistan and China-India-Bangladesh-Myanmar are  closely  linked  to  promoting  the  construction  of the  Belt  and  Road,and  further  cooperation should be promoted to achieve greater progress.In the same year,China-Pakistan relations upgraded from a strategic partnership to an all-weather strategic partnership.

The CPEC has now become a model and flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.It provides important opportunities for  Pakistan’s development,and  is  of great significance for the  economic development and  regional  integration  of China,Pakistan,South Asia,and  Central Asia.The  ll-round  and  intersectoral  cooperation  in  the  CPEC  facilitates further strengthening  of the all-weather strategic partnership between China and Pakistan.The CPEC covers highways,railways,oil and gas pipelines,and optic cable channels.Having a total span of 3,000kilometers,the CPEC is a crucial hub for connecting the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt in the north with the ’21st Century Maritime Silk Road’in the south.With the CPEC as a guide,and a focus on Gwadar Port,energy,transportation  infrastructure,and  industrial  cooperation,a  ‘1+4’economic  cooperation  framework  has  been  established.The  framework has become crucial for China and Pakistan to engage in practical cooperation and collaboratively build a ‘community of a shared future’.

Construction of the CPEC still faces numerous risks and challenges.Only comprehensive understanding,full assessment,and active  response to  address these  risks will  promote  cooperation  and  achieve  substantive  results.To this  end,the  China-Pakistan Joint  Research Center on  Earth Sciences at CAS compiled’The Atlas of Natural  Resources and Green  Development of the China-Pakistan  Economic  Corridor’,which  systematically  combines  various  analysis  techniques  and  visualization  methods,such  as geographic  element  analysis,remote  sensing  image  analysis,ecosystem  evaluation,green  development  potential  evaluation,and integrated  natural  resources  management.The  Atlas  provides  scientific and technological support for  resolving challenges  in the  CPEC,including  land  use  planning,environmental  impact  assessment,infrastructure  monitoring,disaster  risk  assessment,and  integrated management of natural resources.Additionally,it may also provide valuable reference for enterprises and relevant management departments.For example,when determining the  best  infrastructure  layout,factors  such  as environment,topography,and  land  use types  need to  be  considered,which  requires  monitoring  changes  in  surface  cover,ecosystem  health,and  atmospheric  quality. Furthermore,monitoring of infrastructure construction through  high-resolution  images  and  data  could  timely  detect  potential  problems and risks,while monitoring of natural disasters such as geological hazards,floods,and droughts facilitate timely intervention and disaster  mitigation  measures.Additionally,monitoring  and  managing  the  development  and  utilization  of  natural  resources,including water resources,forest resources,mineral resources,and farmland utilization,could reduce resource waste and environmental damage,and achieve green and sustainable development of the CPEC.

The Atlas  is  divided  into  six  sections.The  first  section  introduces  the  location,physical  geographic  conditions,geological  and tectonic conditions,ecosystem conditions,natural disasters,as well as the status of environmental and green development in Pakistan through conventional survey data and remote sensing images.The second section presents the potential and utilization status of  various   resources,including  water,land,forest,grassland,energy,and   minerals  using  remote  sensing  images.The  third   section introduces the natural resources and geographical features of Pakistan at a subregion level,showcasing Balochistan,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Punjab,Sindh,Northern Areas,Azad Kashmir,and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA),as well as Kashgar in China. The fourth section presents an overview of major cities in Pakistan and China,respectively.The former including Karachi,Islamabad, Lahore,Rawalpindi,Peshawar,Faisalabad,Multan,Hyderabad,Sukur,Quetta,and    Gwadar,the    latter    focusing    on    Kashgar.Section five establishes a comprehensive evaluation index system of natural resources and green development potential for comprehensive evaluation and zoning analysis of natural resources and green development potential of the CPEC.Section six presents the editing  details of the Atlas.

Remote sensing  images  and data  used  in  ‘The  Atlas of Natural  Resources  and  Green  Development  of the  China-Pakistan Economic  Coridor’are  primarily  extracted  from  the  following  databases:Landsat5  and  Landsat8  remote  sensing  images,Land- scan population density raster database,ALOS digital elevation model (DEM),MODIS MOD13Q1 (V061)normalized vegetation index dataset and surface cover dataset,MODIS  MOD17A3HGF vegetation  net  primary  productivity dataset,GES  DISC  MERRA-2  data, GlobeLand30 land use and land cover dataset and global wind speed dataset,Solar resource maps of China from SolarGIS,spatial and temporal  datasets  of air temperature(1901-2018)and  precipitation(1901-2018)on  CPEC  from  the  National  Cryposphere  Desert Data Center,SPEI drought index dataset and extreme low temperature event dataset on CPEC from the State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography at CAS,and annual carbon emission raster data from  the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center.The geographic information data used in this study were primarily sourced from the Hydro sheds water system database,the GRanD global dam and reservoir database,and the spatial distribution and attribute data of typical collapse and landslide in CPEC from the Key Laboratory of Shale Gas and Geological Engineering at Institute of Geology and Geophysics at CAS,as well as data on the distribution and characteristics of debris flow in CPEC from the Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Processes at Chengdu Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment at CAS.Socio-economic data of Pakistan were obtained from the World Bank’s World Development Index database and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics database.Data of Kashgar region in China were obtained from the statistical bulletin of national economic and social development of Kashgar region and statistical yearbooks of Chinese cities.

We would like to thank the following personnel and institutions for their invaluable support to the successful completion of this Atlas.Academician Cui  Peng,Director of China-Pakistan Joint  Research  Center on  Earth  Sciences,composed the  preface for this Atlas,and  provided  valuable  comments  for  revision  and  improvement.China-Pakistan  Earth  Science  Research  Center,Institute  of Geographical Sciences and Resources at CAS,Institute of Geology and Geophysics on Earth Sciences at CAS,Institute of Air and Space Innovation,China Resource Satellite Application Center,National Glacial Permafrost Desert Science Data Center,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography at CAS,Institute of Geology and Geophysics,and the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center  provided full support for the acquisition and editing of satellite data and geographic information data for the Atlas.Dr.Bushra Khalid, Pakistani national and PlFI postdoctoral fellow at CAS,provided extensive background information and basic geographic data on Pakistan,shared a large number of photos of Pakistani cities (the 11 Pakistani cities in the Part IV),and revised.the English translation of the Atlas.Chiwei Xiao,an associate professor from the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Resources at CAS,provided the related photos of the Kashgar region of China in the Part IV.Postdoctoral fellow Ding Li,PhD students LiAn,Yidong Zhu,Xueyue Hu and Qindong Yang,master’s students Yuefei Su,Xinyi Wu and research assistant Le Cai,from the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Resources at CAS,and PhD student Li Xiaohan from Beijing Normal University,all contributed much time and effort in data collection,image  production,and  text  translation.

Publication  of  the  Atlas  was  made  possible  through  the  generous  funding  provided  by  the  following  programs:(1)’Assessment of Land Cover Change and Soil Erosion and Its Control Policy’,a Strategic Priority Research Program of the CAS (Grant No. XDA20040200);(2)‘Resource  Environment  and  Green  Development  in  China-Pakistan  Economic  Corridor³,a  Key  Program  of International  Cooperation  under the  Bureau  of  International  Cooperation,CAS  (Grant  No.131551KYSB20210030);(3)’Study  on  the Health Diagnosis and Green Development of Surface Systems in  Industrial and  Mining Areas’under the ‘Second Tibetan  Plateau Scientific   Expedition  and   Research   Program   (STEP)’(Grant   No.2019QZKK1003);(4)the  ‘Third  Xinjiang   Scientific   Expedition’   (Grant  No.2022xjkk0803,2022xjkk0804);and  (5)a  general  project of the  ‘National  Natural  Science  Foundation  of China'(Grant  No. 42071281).

We hope ‘The Atlas of Natural  Resources and Green  Development of the China-Pakistan  Economic  Corridor’will be a valuable reference for relevant China and Pakistani government departments in formulating decisions on green development,comprehensive management of natural resources,and environmental protection;offer crucial foundational information for Chinese and Pakistani research institutions,universities and enterprises;and deliver scientific insights to the general public.Given the time constraints and the scope of available  information,the  atlas  may  have  inherent  limitations,we  therefore,sincerely  welcome  any  feedback,critiques or alternative views on the content of this publication.

The  editors

June   30,2023

CONTENTS

Part Ⅰ

Geographical Situation

1.1  Location                                           001

1.2  Natural condition                                    013

1.3  Geological and tectonic conditions                    025

1.4  Ecosystem                                         030

1.5  Natural disasters                                   035

1.6  Environment and green development                  039

Part Ⅱ

Natural Resource Characteristics

2.1  Water resource                                    044

2.2  Land resource                                      049

2.3  Forest and grassland resources                        057

2.4  Energy resources                                   062

2.5  Mineral resources                                  069

Part Ⅲ

Natural Resources and Geographical Features of the Sub-region

3.1  Baluchistan                                        075

3.2  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa                              089

3.3  Punjab                                          104

3.4  Sindh Province                                   118

3.5  Upstate (Gilgit-Baltistan)                            133

3.6  Free Kashmir (Azad  Kashmir)                      141

3.7  Federally Administered Tribal areas(FATA)            154

3.8  Kashgar region                                    167

Part Ⅳ

Overview of Major Cities

4.1  Karachi                                          178

4.2  Islamabad                                        184

4.3  Lahore                                           188

4.4  Rawalpindi                                       191

4.5  Peshawar                                         194

4.6  Faisalabad                                        198   

4.7  Muldan(Multan)                                   201

4.8  Hyderabad(Hyderabad)                              204

4.9  Sukkur                                           208

4.10  Quetta                                          211

4.11  Gwadar                                         214

4.12  Kashgar                                         218

Part Ⅴ

Comprehensive Evaluation and Zoning of Natural Resources and Green Development Potential

5.1  System of evaluation indicators                          221

5.2  Resource and ecological endowment index                 227

5.3  Resource development suitability index                   238

5.4  Resource development risk index                        244

5.5  Comprehensive evaluation of natural resources and green

development potential                                      250

5.6  Integrated natural resources and green development

sub-region of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor                252

Part Ⅵ

Compilation Instructions

6.1   Remote sensing satellite data sources                     254

6.2   Geographic information data                            255

6.3   Socio-economic data                                  256