Preserving Morocco's Natural Treasures: The Pivotal Role of Protected Areas

Friday 26 April 2024 - 14:52

In an endeavor to safeguard Morocco's invaluable natural heritage, Abderrahim Houmy, the Director General of the National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF), underscored the vital role of protected areas in preserving the nation's biodiversity.

His remarks were made during the launch workshop for the update of the national study on protected areas, initially conducted in 1994.

Houmy emphasized the significance of this update, as it will provide current data on the country's ecosystems and rich biodiversity. This initiative aligns with the "Forests of Morocco 2020-2030" strategy, launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in February 2020, and responds to the new objectives of the Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

He asserted that these objectives are not mere targets but essential commitments to ensure a sustainable future for the planet and future generations, demanding concrete actions, enhanced international collaboration, and unwavering political will.

Protected areas play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity, protecting fragile ecosystems, and creating dedicated spaces for research, education, and promoting sustainable development. In Morocco, these spaces represent veritable natural treasures, harboring an inestimable wealth of flora, fauna, and unique ecosystems.

Béryl Bouteille Millet, Deputy Director of the French Development Agency (AFD), highlighted that the update of Morocco's national study on protected areas, carried out under the "Ghabati Hayati" program, funded by the AFD, "benefits from technical assistance from Expertise France."

The update aims to improve biodiversity management and support an integrated approach to the development of the protected areas network for the next decade, she noted. It will be based on broad consultation and the capitalization of experiences acquired by various stakeholders involved in recent years.

Millet further emphasized that the study's update aligns with the new objectives of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), recalling the ambitious goals to be achieved by 2030, including preserving at least 30% of terrestrial and marine areas through protected area systems and other effective area-based conservation measures, as well as restoring at least 30% of degraded freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems.

The 1994 national study on protected areas characterized natural ecosystems, fauna, and flora, identifying a network of 154 Sites of Biological and Ecological Interest (SIBE) covering over 2.5 million hectares representative of Morocco's diverse natural ecosystems.

The updated study aims to assess the conservation status of identified sites and their biodiversity, identify new priority sites for conservation in response to national and international challenges, and incorporate new conservation challenges such as ecosystem representativeness.

The updated network of protected areas will constitute a new framework to mobilize technical and financial partnerships, as well as the scientific and technical community, for dynamic monitoring of biodiversity and adaptive management of natural ecosystems.