Biodiversity, Change, and Use of Moroccan Wetlands

Abstract

Although renowned for their abundance and diversity, Morocco's natural wetlands have declined by around half over the last 50 years. The assessment of their biodiversity is far from complete, due to a lack of coordinated and integrated research programs on the one hand, and scientific, technical, and financial difficulties on the other hand. The conservation and sustainable use of wetlands are vital to the livelihoods of populations, thanks to the various ecosystem services they provide, although these are frequently underestimated by political decision-makers. This work consists of a global synthesis of previous work on Moroccan wetlands, in terms of biological diversity, livelihoods, and conservation. Morocco's wetlands are home to at least 5311 plant, animal, and protist taxa, including 470 endemics. Specific or facultative wetland plants include 359 vascular plant taxa on the IUCN Red List, 50 threatened seaweeds, and 88 threatened freshwater animal taxa (IUCN). Moroccan wetlands are essential stopover and feeding areas as well as wintering sites for migratory waterbirds. Stakeholders involved in or dependent on wetland management have partial visions. Climate change, intermittent droughts, induced dewatering and overexploitation of river and groundwater, and planning and construction work are among the main causes of changes affecting local natural wetlands. 52 invasive taxa have been reported, including 41 freshwater animal species, 8 algae, and 3 specific vascular plants. Initiatives and programs for the conservation of Moroccan wetlands and the use of their resources are governed mainly by the Ramsar Convention and the “Plan Directeur des Aires Protégées” (Master Plan for Protected Areas). Despite a wide range of sometimes noninclusive actions to enhance wetland conservation and development, the new agro-forestry approaches have not succeeded in breaking away from water-intensive crops and plantations.