No abstract

Oases play a crucial role in human societies and the conservation of biodiversity, especially in harsh environments like arid zones. They serve as sanctuaries for agrodiversity, preserving diverse agricultural resources under challenging climatic conditions. However, these agroecosystems are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate fluctuations, droughts, and other environmental changes. Understanding these unique agroecosystems is essential for developing effective strategies to protect them. Agrodiversity serves as a key indicator of the overall health of traditional agroecosystems. To assess the richness and diversity of agrodiversity, field surveys were conducted in six representative oases in southern Morocco. Within each oasis, we interviewed 20 farmers in five ksour. Our findings confirm the widespread practice of polyculture and reveal significant diversity among the oases. A total of 55 crops were identified, consisting of 183 varieties. Specifically, the oasis of Tata employed 42 crops, Alnif had 41 crops, Guelmim had 38 crops, Aoufouss had 32 crops, Rich had 29 crops, and Zagora had 28 crops. The profiles of varieties clearly distinguish between ksour and oases, highlighting the unique identities of each oasis. The modernization of farming practices is influenced by factors such as farm size, plot fragmentation, dispersal, and irrigation methods. However, its consequences are concerning. There is a risk of losing agrodiversity and compromising the food security of local populations. The shift from household consumption crops to cash crops has negative implications for the availability of diverse and nutritious food. Moreover, modernization often leads to increased water consumption, further straining the already limited water resources in these oases.

This work presents the results of a cartographic study of the spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation cover in the forest areas of Mallalyine and Taghramt in the western Rif. It is based on a field survey and the photointerpretation of aerial photographs taken in 1986 and Google Earth images from 2013 (a period of twenty-seven years). Our study reports on the current state of degradation of the vegetation cover in the forests of Mallalyine and Taghramt. We have produced two land use maps showing how high and low formations as well as scrub have regressed by 62, 70 and 49 percent, respectively, between 1986 and 2013, while non-forested land and reforestation increased respectively by 26.3 and 1.53 percent relative to the area covered in 1986. The main factors contributing to the decline of vegetation cover are: deforestation (35 offenses registered every year with a degraded area of about 15 ha / year), clearing (27 offenses per year with an European Scientific Journal August 2018 edition Vol.14, No.24 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 20 affected area of about 20 ha / year), overgrazing (10 offenses of illegal grazing per year with a degraded area of about 12 ha / year), forest fires (4 to 5 fires per year with a degraded area of about 50 ha / year). In addition to these factors, we find increasing water scarcity.