Local forest resource management structure
Parc National d'Ifrane et Association Karfour
Financial incentives
The Department of Water and Forests manages forest resources through its decentralized structures, which are responsible for monitoring and applying reforestation and silviculture techniques. The regeneration of native species, in particular Cedrus Atlantica, is one of the most difficult tasks to achieve. The prohibition of grazing on plots of land designated as "closed" is a technique applied to ensure the success of cedar regeneration, but it is difficult to get herders to respect it without mobilizing funds to compensate them for the closed areas.
However, it was essential to organize the farmers into associations, and to provide them with guidance and raise their awareness, so that they could adopt the concept of compensation and develop it in the long term. This is what the Ifrane National Park has done, and continues to do as one of its main missions.
The Department of Water and Forests has been a legally recognized government body since 1913, operating within the framework of regulations established by the country in consultation with the beneficiaries. It receives funds and has the flexibility to establish agreements that frame development projects in partnership with stakeholders, civil society, cooperatives and associations......
-Repression alone should not be relied upon to limit infringements of natural resource laws.
Involving rights-holders and stakeholders in debates on natural resource management helps to identify optimal solutions and make the right decisions.
-At first, herders found it difficult to organize themselves into associations, and they also tended to share the compensation they received and consume it directly. But with the assistance and guidance of Ifrane National Park, the compensation received is being invested in infrastructure, equipment and the purchase of cattle feed. Increasingly, the focus has shifted to the design of integrated development projects aimed at improving the incomes of those entitled to them, and restoring and conserving fragile ecosystems, including the endangered Atlas Cedar.