article · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
A synthesis of 45 publications spanning 1973 to 2025 examines the decline of argan and Atlas cedar forests in Morocco. Although each species follows distinct pathways, both share a common breakdown in natural forest renewal. In the Aoulouz argan woodland, average tree density fell by 44.5 per cent between 1970 and 2007, dropping from 27.4 to 15.2 trees per hectare, while a monitored zone near Agadir experienced a 2.86 per cent canopy loss between 2017 and 2023. Projections for Atlas cedar indicate a 21 to 41 per cent reduction of populations in climatically suitable habitats under varied emission scenarios. The findings show that while climatic conditions amplify degradation, human pressures such as overgrazing, wood cutting, habitat fragmentation, water demand, and weak governance drive the shift from temporary stress to permanent structural decline.
Argan and Atlas cedar forests are ecologically vital ecosystems facing severe regression. Understanding that human activities and institutional shortfalls, rather than climate shifts alone, push these forests past recovery thresholds allows environmental agencies and local communities to focus on targeted interventions. Protecting new growth, managing grazing, and deploying remote sensing can prevent irreversible habitat collapse.
The review highlights opportunities for environmental monitoring services, particularly through remote-sensing technologies to track canopy loss and forest health. Public forestry agencies and conservation bodies could deploy these analytical approaches to inform pastoral agreements and manage regeneration zones. While the synthesis itself provides policy and management recommendations rather than a commercial product, the referenced remote-sensing monitoring tools represent applied methods ready for integration into forestry management programmes.
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Cette revue intégrative synthétise 45 publications scientifiques et institutionnelles parues entre 1973 et 2025 afin d’expliquer les trajectoires de régression des forêts d’Arganier (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) et de Cèdre de l’Atlas (Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Manetti ex Carrière) au Maroc. Le corpus a été constitué à partir de recherches documentaires menées dans Google Scholar, Crossref, DOAJ et les portails d’éditeurs, complétées par les documents officiels de l’UNESCO, du GIEC, de la FAO et de l’Agence Nationale des Eaux et Forêts. Les sources ont été retenues selon leur pertinence thématique, géographique et méthodologique, puis analysées au moyen d’une grille portant sur l’exposition climatique, la sensibilité écologique, la pression anthropique, la régénération et la capacité d’adaptation institutionnelle. La synthèse met en évidence des trajectoires distinctes mais un mécanisme commun de rupture du renouvellement forestier. Dans l’arganeraie d’Aoulouz, la densité moyenne est passée de 27,4 à 15,2 arbres par hectare entre 1970 et 2007, soit une baisse de 44,5 %, tandis que des observations plus récentes montrent une forte hétérogénéité locale et une perte de couvert proche de 2,86 % entre 2017 et 2023 dans un secteur suivi près d’Agadir. Pour le Cèdre de l’Atlas, les modèles projettent une diminution des populations situées dans les zones climatiquement favorables comprise entre 21 % et 41 % selon l’horizon et le scénario d’émissions. Ces résultats indiquent que le climat agit comme amplificateur, alors que le surpâturage, les coupes, la fragmentation, la pression sur l’eau et les faiblesses de gouvernance déterminent fréquemment le passage d’un stress réversible à une régression structurelle. Une gestion adaptative fondée sur la protection des régénérations, la conservation des microrefuges, le suivi par télédétection, les contrats pastoraux et une répartition équitable des bénéfices locaux apparaît prioritaire. Mots-clés : Argania spinosa ; Cedrus atlantica ; revue intégrative ; dépérissement forestier ; changement climatique ; surpâturage ; télédétection ; gouvernance adaptative ; Maroc. This integrative review synthesizes 45 scientific and institutional publications issued between 1973 and 2025 to explain the regression pathways of argan (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) and Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Manetti ex Carrière) forests in Morocco. The corpus was assembled through documentary searches conducted in Google Scholar, Crossref, DOAJ and publisher platforms, supplemented by official documents from UNESCO, the IPCC, FAO and the National Agency for Water and Forests. Sources were selected according to thematic, geographic and methodological relevance, then analyzed through a grid covering climatic exposure, ecological sensitivity, anthropogenic pressure, regeneration and institutional adaptive capacity. The synthesis identifies distinct pathways but a common mechanism of disrupted forest renewal. In the Aoulouz argan woodland, mean density declined from 27.4 to 15.2 trees per hectare between 1970 and 2007, a 44.5% decrease, whereas more recent observations reveal strong local heterogeneity and a canopy loss of approximately 2.86% between 2017 and 2023 in a monitored area near Agadir. For Atlas cedar, models project a 21% to 41% decrease in populations located within climatically suitable areas, depending on the time horizon and emission scenario. These findings indicate that climate acts as an amplifier, while overgrazing, cutting, fragmentation, water pressure and governance weaknesses often determine the shift from reversible stress to structural regression. Adaptive management based on regeneration protection, microrefugia conservation, remote-sensing monitoring, pastoral agreements and an equitable distribution of local benefits is therefore a priority. Keywords: Argania spinosa; Cedrus atlantica; integrative review; forest dieback; climate change; overgrazing; remote sensing; adaptive governance; Morocco.
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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21980975
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