COP22: Moroccan Pavillion Hosts Conference on Integrated Coastal Management

Marrakech, 11/11/2016 (MAP) – The Moroccan Pavillion hosted, Thursday, a side event as part of the COP22, a conference on “Integrated Coastal Management, an indispensable tool for adapting to the effects of climate change”.

The aim of the event was to identify the issues of coastlines, so as to better react in terms of sustainable tourism, to raise awareness of public and private decision makers about climate change and its effects on coastlines, and to put in place an international network for coastlines to share details and information relevant to this area.

Speaking on this occasion, Minister for Urban Affairs & Planning, Driss Merroun, said that“The Moroccan Coastline is represented by two components, land and sea, and is a good territory in terms of economic development, but remains fragile, noting that this natural heritage was under considerable urban pressure and was one of the most important urban issues in the country.

Today’s environmental challenges are a call for everybody to come together in this matter to protect and honour our coastlines, said the minister, noting that a national strategy was currently being outlined to serve as reference and supply the signposts and instruments necessary for the sustainable management of this important space.

For his part, Anthony Lecren, Minister for Sustainable Development and for the Environment with the government of New Caledonia, said that in the Oceanic region when they speak of coastline, they are speaking about a place of habitat, and as this region is made up of several islands is one of the most fragile in the world and affected by rising tides due to climate change.

This side-event was also an occasion to reinforce the co-operation north-south and south-south in the matter of the fight against the effects of climate change in regard to coastlines.