Our World

Issue 99 December 2012

The spider trees of Pakistan

The 2010 Pakistan floods were triggered by heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakthunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan regions of Pakistan. It was estimated that one-fifth of Pakistan’s total land area was underwater and over 20 million people were directly affected, through destruction of property, infrastructure and livelihood, with total economic impact estimated to have been $43 billion.
 
The floods also led to interesting behaviour amongst spiders in Pakistan. Millions of spiders crawled up trees to escape the rising waters and stayed there for some time, as much of the flood water had still not receded. The spiders wove intricate webs around the trees, which proved extremely effective in catching mosquitos and reducing the risk of malaria in the area.

© Russell Watkins / Department for International Development