In Situ Conservation of Orchidaceae Diversity in the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (Moroccan Part)

Abstract

The focus of this study was the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (IBRM, part of the biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean Basin) and the Orchidaceae family, which is under-studied in the Moroccan part of the IBRM. For this reason, an inventory of Orchidaceae diversity and factors that could influence their in situ conservation was undertaken, employing a series of field surveys conducted in the Northern Moroccan IBRM ecosystems. In total, 42 sites were surveyed in four protected areas of the Moroccan part of the IBRM. In total, 21 Orchidaceae species and subspecies (taxa) belonging to seven genera were identified, including Orchis spitzelii subsp. cazorlensis, as newly recorded in Morocco, as well as several new reports for different sites and/or areas surveyed, thus updating the previous knowledge of Moroccan Orchidaceae. Most of the Orchidaceae taxa were found in limited numbers of individuals (<30) and were restricted in a few sites (1–3) or a single area; thus, they were assessed as poorly conserved due to the scarcity of rainfall coupled with human pressures, such as the abstraction of surface water, forest fires, and the conversion of protected forests to Cannabis farms. The enforcement of existing laws, the adoption of strategies to combat desertification and forest fires, the prohibition of Cannabis farming, and raising awareness among the local population could reduce the pressures on the protected Orchidaceae members and their habitats, thereby contributing to their conservation.