Morocco: Civil society Calls for Oases Protection

Merzouga, 17/04/2017 (MAP) – Civil society calls for protecting oases, fighting desertification and reinforcing water governance in the ecosystems, President of the Saharan Association for the Development of Tourism and Culture, Lahcen Kabiri, said on Saturday in Merzouga.

Oases of Daraâ-Tafilalelt suffer from water shortage, which is primarily due to frequent droughts, floods and pressures on water resources. This led citizens to take action, requesting to make these natural resources adaptable to climate changes, Kabiri said at a conference organized as part of the 5th International Festival of Merzouga.

The Saharan Association for the Development of Tourism and Culture, initiator of this conference, has developed an advocacy document in favor of oases, which crowned 8 months of fieldwork in south-East Morocco up to the High Atlas Mountains.

This 50-page document was handed to the Moroccan Parliament (both houses), the oasis elected and the President of the Draâ-Tafilalelt region to introduce the recommendations of civil society with regard to oasis water governance, said Kabiri, also founder and President of the Environmental Science Research Group at the Faculty of Science and Techniques in Errachidia.