Mountain regions are particularly sensitive and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Over the past three decades, mountain temperatures have risen significantly faster than those in lowland areas. The Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya region, often referred to as the “water tower of Asia”, is the largest freshwater source outside the polar regions. However, it is currently undergoing cryospheric degradation as a result of climatic change. In this study, the Normalized Difference Glacier Index (NDGI) was calculated using Landsat and Sentinel satellite images. The results revealed that glaciers in Chitral, located in the Eastern Hindu Kush Mountains of Pakistan, lost 816 km² (31%) of their total area between 1992 and 2022. On average, 27 km² of glacier area was lost annually, with recession accelerating between 1997 and 2002 and again after 2007. Satellite analyses also indicated a significant increase in both maximum (+7.3 °C) and minimum (+3.6 °C) land surface temperatures between 1992 and 2022. Climate data analyses using the Mann–Kendall test, Theil–Sen Slope method, and the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model showed a clear increase in air temperatures from 1967 to 2022, particularly during the summer months (June, July, and August). This warming trend is expected to continue until at least 2042. Over the same period, annual precipitation decreased, primarily due to reduced snowfall in winter. However, rainfall may have slightly increased during the summer months, further accelerating glacial melting. Additionally, the snowmelt season began consistently earlier. While initial glacier melting may temporarily boost water resources, it also poses risks to communities and economies, particularly through more frequent and larger floods. Over time, the remaining smaller glaciers will contribute only a fraction of the former runoff, leading to potential water stress. As such, monitoring glaciers, climate change, and runoff patterns is critical for sustainable water management and strengthening resilience in the region.

Mountain agriculture is the linchpin of the economy in Pakistan's Hindu Kush Karakoram and Himalaya mountain regions. Currently, mountain agriculture is in a state of transition, experiencing rapid changes and innovation due to physical and anthropogenic drivers, resulting in far-reaching consequences on the livelihood sustainability and food security of the local people. This study explores the multifaceted drivers of agricultural transformation in the Eastern Hindu Kush region, specifically in Lotkuh Valley, Pakistan, focusing on the intricate relationship between resilience-building measures and the adoption of innovative agricultural practices. For this purpose, data were explored from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected using stratified sampling techniques during extensive field surveys conducted in the study area from 2017 to 2019. Remotely sensed data from 1990 to 2019 were obtained from the USGS site. Secondary data were acquired from the Gazetteer of Chitral 1928, Census Report 1961-2017, and Rural Settlement Report 1988. The collected data have been analyzed through descriptive analysis and advanced geospatial techniques. The findings reveal that vivid changes and transformations have occurred in mountain agriculture. These transformations include land use/cover changes, agricultural land holdings, cropping patterns, livestock populations, arboriculture, etc. From the findings of this study, it is inferred that innovation in mountain agriculture entails a variety of opportunities and has increased agricultural production, resulting in a positive impact on the economy, food security, and livelihood sustainability. This study provides nuanced knowledge and insights for policymakers, mountain agriculturists, and practitioners to effectively develop sophisticated strategies for achieving the ambitious goal of zero hunger and poverty eradication.

Pastoralism in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region of Pakistan has undergone significant sociocultural, economic and ecological changes over the last three decades. The economic value of mountain pastoralism has been underestimated and ignored, leading to the loss of Indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and threatening food and livelihood security in the eastern Hindu Kush region. This study explores the changes and transformations in mountain pastoralism and their societal impacts, focusing on the loss of Indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge, traditional skills, food security and livelihood sustainability. Primary data were collected through extensive field surveys conducted from 2010 to 2023. Secondary data were obtained from census reports, rural settlement records, the Food Department of Lower and Upper Chitral districts and the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Peshawar. The study found significant changes and transformations in various aspects of mountain pastoralism, including a decrease in livestock population, alterations in grazing arrangements, the abandonment of high-pasturing practices and the loss of Indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and skills. Reduced livestock population causes shortage of meat, milk and other dairy products. Insufficient self-provision of livestock products has led to heavy dependence on external foodstuff on the market, which has raised the prices of food items to unaffordable levels, leading to food insecurity. Further, this is the first ever study to document ethnomedicinal Indigenous information about 61 plants species and one mineral and their therapeutic application. It is inferred that changes in mountain pastoralism underlay the swift erosion of traditional ethnomedicinal knowledge. Finally, this study provides nuanced insights for conservation of medicinal flora and establishes a foundational framework for further scientific investigations in phytochemistry and ethnopharmacology to evaluate novel active ingredients for potential drug discovery within the area. The findings will be useful for policymakers and practitioners in designing effective programmes and policies to decrease vulnerability and enhance food and livelihood security. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ .