Mediterranean forests are found in the Mediterranean basin, California, the South African Cape Province, South and southwestern Australia and parts of Central Chile. They represent 1.8 % of the world forest areas of which the vast majority is found in the Mediterranean basin, where historical and paleogeographic episodes, long-term human influence and geographical and climatic contrasts have created ecosystemic diversity and heterogeneity. Even if evergreen is dominant, deciduous trees are also represented, with different forest types including dense stands with a closed canopy (forests sensu stricto) and pre-forestal or pre-steppic structures with lower trees density and height. The Mediterranean basin is also a hot spot of forest species and genetic diversity, with 290 woody species versus only 135 for non-Mediterranean Europe. However, the characteristics of the Mediterranean area (long-standing anthropogenic pressure, significant current human activity and broad biodiversity) make it one of the world’s regions most threatened by current changes. Four examples of Mediterranean forest types, present in south and north of the Mediterranean basin and more or less threatened, are developed in order to show that linking “hard sciences” and humanities and social sciences is necessary to understand these complex ecosystems. We show also that these forests, in spite of specific climatic constraints, can also be healthy and productive and play a major ecological and social role. Furthermore, even if the current human activity and global change constitute a risk for these exceptional ecosystems, Mediterranean forests represent a great asset and opportunities for the future of the Mediterranean basin

The pastoral interest in Fraxinus dimorpha foliage from the High Atlas of Morocco was assessed both in terms of its role with regard to the feeding of small ruminant flocks and for its nutritive value. Observation, measurements, and interviews with 57 households revealed that ash trees are regularly pollarded, following very precise four-year cycles, during late August to November. Native ash tree stands are subject to characteristic shaping, which enables a continuous capability to provide fodder, and gives rise to characteristic sylvo-pastoral landscapes. A digestion trial was conducted in goats and sheep. Five two-year-old rams (19.5 ± 1 kg) and five two-year-old uncastrated bucks (22.2 ± 1.7 kg) were placed in individual metabolism cages over 18 days, and fed fresh ash tree leaves with a light dietary supplementation. The apparent digestibility coefficients between goats and sheep did not differ significantly for dry matter (69.5% versus 67.5%, respectively), organic matter (70.5% vs 68.3%), and Neutral Detergent Fibre (53.8% vs 52.3%), in contrast to crude protein (54.2% vs 45.3%, p < 0.001) and Acid Detergent Lignin (29.7 vs 26.4, p < 0.05). Due to a higher intake relative to metabolic weight (57.1 vs 47.7 gDM/kgBW 0.75 ), goats valorize this type of forage better than sheep. It is concluded that ash tree foliage presents considerable nutritive interest in autumn when overall range forage is scarce and lacking in quality, and, hence, constitutes a useful forage resource for feeding the small ruminant flocks found in these low-input mountain livestock farming systems. Associated traditional management practices were revealed to be both technically and ecologically efficient, and should be better taken into account by policy-makers.

Back to forests in pre-Saharan Morocco? When prickly pear cultivation and traditional agropastoralism reduction promote argan tree regeneration.

1On the south shore of the western Mediterranean Basin, mountain forest ecosystems are 2 degraded, mainly due to their overexploitation. Topographic, edaphic and climatic conditions 3 create stressful growing conditions and sensitive ecosystems. Nonetheless, in these 4 ecosystems, forests remain an important resource for the subsistence of local populations. 5Historically the vulnerability of this resource has prompted mankind to establish traditional 6 control forms of forest and pastoral areas. These common resource management systems are 7 still functioning in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains under the name of agdal which refers 8 to the territory, the resources and access rules laid down by the local population in order to 9 manage the territory. 10The estimation of land cover changes was a suitable method to evaluate the effectiveness of 11 these community-based systems for forest conservation. In this paper we highlight the impact 12 of this traditional management on woodland dynamics in a mountainous area (Aït Bouguemez The results indicate that in the past 38 years, forest ecosystems have been affected by a 21 relative decrease of 20.7% of the total forest area, and 8.7% for the mean canopy cover 22 percentage. However, strong disparities in forest dynamics arose according to the agdal or 23 non-agdal status of the forest. Significant progression in canopy cover is noted in controlled 24 agdal areas but large degradation has occurred outside. Regarding the stand ecological 25 4 conditions, we observed significant differences in the stand structure, according to the 1 management mode. We suggest through this study increased recognition of customary forest 2 regulations, which may be adapted and extrapolated to other communities. However, from an 3 ecological point of view, the agdal system alone is not sufficient to reach a viable 4 management mode in the long term. 5 6

Résumé. Dans le Haut Atlas, les pelouses humides et pozzines constituent des pâturages assez convoités. Leur flore se caractérise par une grande richesse spécifique: 165 taxons inventoriés dans la zone d’étude (plateau de l’Oukaimeden, plateau de Tichka et l’amont de la haute vallée d’Ait Mizane) avec un taux d’endémisme estimé à 30,3% et un degré de rareté qui atteint 31%. Dans un contexte dominé par l’élément méditerranéen, la flore de ces pelouses est très enrichie de souches septentrionales 15,7%, repoussées vers nos latitudes méridionales lors des dernières glaciations. Ces zones humides vulnérables de par leur structure, fonctionnement écologique et état de conservation, se trouvent très touchées par les changements climatiques et les mutations environnementales récentes. Summary. In the High Atlas mountains, the wet grasslands and pozzines constitute a highly coveted pastoral resource. Its flora is characterized by a great specific richness: 165 taxa are recorded in the study area (Oukaimeden plateau, Tichka plateau and the upstream of the Ait Mizane high valley) and schow a rate of endemism estimated at 30.3% and a degree of rarity reaching 31%. In a Mediterranean context, the wet grasslands flora is supplemented with plants of northern origin 15.7%, pushed towards the extreme southern latitudes during the last glaciations. These wet pastures, highly sensitive by their structure, ecological functions and their conservation state, are very affected by the climatic changes and the global environmental changes.