Becoming role models within the community as well as internationally.
Job creation
Anti-Poaching Unit designed to accommodate women's needs. (Child care, medical care, women care, pregnancy etc.)
Skill development (continues training and courses)
Providing women with a safe work environment where they thrive.
Lessons learned from the project is how to integrate rural women into the wildlife security arena. Needs are different for men and women and must be taken into account.
Cultural differences might impact the program as in many rural cultures in Africa women are not the breadwinners or are expected to stay at home. Working together with tribal chiefs, families, and women to achieve the goal to empower women is important.
Women are still very under-represented within the wildlife security arena and might not be taken serious as rangers. Removing the stigma on female rangers not being capable to to the work the same as a man is a priority and women should be empowered and given the opportunity to participate in wildlife security and nature conservation.
The fight against poaching, illegal trade and killing of wild animals.
The fight against the poaching of endangered species: here recovery of a Barbary macaque to return it to its group.
El Alami
Poaching poses serious threats to wildlife conservation and efforts at preserving wildlife through the establishment of protected areas are under threat by poaching of wildlife in the central High Atlas of Morocco. The enforcement of the existing law against illegal capturing, empoisoning and killing of wild encouraged the authorities to participate actively in the protection of wild species and to enforce the law in certain cases. Raising awareness among residents and creating jobs in ecotourism and geotourism also participate in the fight against poaching. For example, in the Ouzoud site, the fight against poaching and the trade of macaques was one of the main factors responsible for the Barbary macaque population increase. We have actively participated since 2008 in collaboration with local authorities in the fight against illegal work (poaching, tree felling, etc.). We worked with some residents to obtain the necessary information on this work. in this context, we took part in stopping certain wild animal capture operations and we released a large number of animals in their original habitats.
In recent years, local people have actively participated in the fight against poaching and the wildlife trade. The ecological and economical roles of wildlife in ecosystems have been more widely appreciated among local people in the central High Atlas of Morocco. The creation of employment in ecotourism and in the field of medicinal plants has encouraged the inhabitants to participate in the fight against work with a negative impact on ecosystems.
Poaching and trade in wild animals is practiced mainly by young habitats who have no work and who have no ideas about the consequences of these activities on wild populations. Integrating these people into development projects can transform them into protectors of wildlife. Helping people find jobs and helping them improve their ecological knowledge will help conserve habitats.
Scientific research benefits wildlife conservation
Sientific research and Wildlife conservation: Here we studied the impact of pollution on the Otter population.
El Alami
Sientific research on Lutra lutra
El Alami
Sientific research on the African wolf
El Alami
Sientific research on the Endangered Barbary Macaque Species
El Alami
Conduction of scientific research on the effects of human activities on wildlife allowed us to better understand the effects of humans on wild animal populations. Today, we are the only who carry out scientific studies on biodiversity in the central High Atlas. The solutions proposed consist in encouraging research institutions to participate in these scientific studies and to study other zoological groups.
Scientific research is essential for conservation as it helps establish solutions based on scientific results. For example, we have shown that hunting currently used in Morocco to limit the growth of wild boar populations has, on the contrary, a postive impact on wild boars and that the conservation of wild boar predators is the best method to regulate wild boar populations. We have also shown that poaching affects populations of the Barbary macaque, Cuvier's gazelle, and of other species. The prohibition of poaching and the sensitization of habitats were the main causes for the increase in the Barbary macaque population in the site of Ouzoud, Morocco.
The central High Atlas Mountains have a great diversity of habitats and of plant and animal species . This area is home to a variety of animal species, especially mammals with more than 24 wild mammal species and more than 120 birds.
Scientific studies allow us to understand the factors responsible for species declines and to develop appropriate solutions.
Education to raise the awareness of the local people about the wildlife conservation
El Alami
Education sessions at the Kharezmi High School, Souk Sebt, Morocco.
El Alami
Conservation behaviors are considered essential actions that tremendously influence ecosystems. Environmental behaviors are essential to ecological conservation and to environmental protection.It is important to involve the citizens in the domain of the conservation of the environment and biodiversity conservation. Our scientific studies revealed that the respondents reported a lower level of practices in the conservation of species. Solutions have been initiated, the most important of which is to educate the inhabitants to encourage them to conserve the species. Education sessions were carried out by the author and his collaborators during the two las decades with local inhabitants, students, associations and authorities. As part of their scientific research, they visited most of the villages. They discuss with people the ecological and economic roles of biodiversity and the importance of conserving it.
In recent years, the roles of wild animals in their ecosystems have been more widely appreciated and today, the management of biodiversity is a priority for the Moroccan Government, authorities, NGO and civil society.
The local people opinion plays a vital role in the conservation of biodiversity and environment. In general, when inhabitants understand the ecological and economic roles of wild fauna, they spontaneously participate in its conservation.
Developing effective local people-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies
Carcass of a the the African wolf Canis lupus lupaster killed by inhabitants and and involvement of residents raising awareness of their ecological consequences.
El Alami
Biodiversity in the central High Atlas proteted areas
El Alami
The human-local people conflict may act as factors in the decline of biodiversity. Our scientific studies showed that there is an increasing in the local people-wildlife conflict in the central High Atlas.The predation of livestock (carnivore species) and Crop raiding (wild boar, Barbary macaque, etc.) are the main causes of the local people-wildlife conflict and of negative attitudes toward the wild species. Several techniques were proposed to reduce the risk of depredation of livestock by wilds predators and and the risk of crop damage by Herbivorous species:
- 1. Education to raise the awareness of the local people about the ecological and economical roles of wildlife and provide the public with information on the benefits of wild animals and their ecological and economical roles.
2. Encourage residents to use some techniques to protect livestock and to keep wild animals away, such as a livestock guard dogs, prompt and proper disposal of livestock carcasses to eliminate attractants that could draw carnivores, and monitoring and pasturing of livestock and fields.
3. We are currently preparing a compensation programs to assist local people by reimbursing them for losses attributable to wild canids.
1. The contributor is a researcher who was born and lived in the central High Atlas for 40 years. He is known in the region, which facilitates the transmission of messages about biodiversity conservation. He communicates with the local inhabitants through the Tamazight language, which is the native language of the contributor. He also participates in several educational, cultural and scientific activities in this region.
2. The central High Atlas encompass an area of 10 502 km² and have a rich and varied biological diversity.
Education and the awareness-Raising Session for Local Officials and Communities on the Importance of wildlife conservation, and the use of possible and simple techniques to keep wild animals away mitigate the conflict between local people and wildlife and and it resulted the conservation of species and habitats .
Role of ecosystem service in the restoration process
Role of ecosystem service in the restoration process
Forum des acteurs et communication sur le processus de révision du plan d'aménagement
MINFOF, 2021
Despite the strong dependence of the local economy on natural resources, the concept of ecosystem services is new to most of the actors intervening in the periphery of the Faro National Park.
In addition, due to the lack of knowledge about natural processes, the loss of these resources has been noted, but their decline has often not been attributed to current practices. Existing communal development plans focus on sectors such as water, agriculture and infrastructure, without taking into account the importance of ecosystem services. A meeting and training enabled stakeholders from different sectors to discuss the challenges of conservation of ecosystem services and increase their knowledge in the field.
In order to improve the process of drawing up plans and building the capacities of decision-makers at the local level, several workshops were organized with the aim of familiarizing actors with the “ecosystem services” approach and its application during the process. planning.
- Participatory approach integrating all stakeholders.
- Focus on the usefulness of ecosystem services for the economic development of the region.
- Existence / creation of a good level of knowledge of natural processes (water cycle, soil fertility, etc.).
A major challenge in the context of sensitization and training of actors / decision-makers is the fact that there are large gaps in basic knowledge concerning natural processes (water cycle etc.) and climate projections. Therefore, it was necessary to train decision-makers not only on the steps of integrating ecosystem services into plans, but also on techniques to improve the sustainable management of natural resources.
Therefore, the technical support process takes a long time. • In addition, popularization of documents on ecosystem services will be an asset.
Essential elements for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services for sustainable development are the equitable participation of stakeholders and the organizational development of local management associations. The project has set up a stakeholder forum bringing together all the sectors involved in the park to identify areas of ecological, economic and social interest for which there is a will of the populations to protect and manage them. Its mission is to manage conflicts related to the exploitation and conservation of natural resources, to promote the capacity building of actors, to encourage the emergence of research in the sustainable management of natural resources. This forum has the technical support of the project for their organizational development as well as for technical and financial management, including the monitoring of the rules for the use of their resources. These rules of use were drawn up in a participatory manner for each buffer zone. To do this, a series of consultation sessions was organized for each village.
Benefits drawn: participatory process for revising the park's development plan; participatory ecological monitoring and surveillance.
Security of tenure: the natural boundaries of the park give it protection and the buffer zone is easily demarcated.
Legal consultation framework: recognition of their status and functions by ministerial acts.
In a context where the land use plan is defined, local authorities must be involved in discussing future land use in order to come to a legally recognized agreement that will be accepted and honored in the long term.
Regarding the rules of sustainable management in the buffer zones, the challenge was to develop rules and sanctions in accordance with the forestry legislation in force and applicable at the local level. For this, a series of consultation sessions was carried out to allow the population to become more familiar with the law in terms of conservation and management of natural resources.
Due to their lack of knowledge in these matters, users often perceived the reduction of their natural resources.
