The Resilience and Vulnerabilities of Morocco’s Forest Arid Areas

Morocco is justly famous for its very rich flora and fauna in the Mediterranean basin because of the great variability of climate, topography, and ecology. The biological richness is achieved by a whole range of bioclimates, from perhumid to saharan, altitudinal vegetation zones, and soil types. This ecological complexity has resulted in a mosaic of specific forest ecosystems, especially in semi-arid, arid, and hyper-arid climates that extend over nearly 93% of its area.The first chapter of the book throws light on the resilience mechanisms of the arid forests areas in Morocco, presenting the main factors and sustainable management approaches. After that, it digs deeper into the human-climate-biodiversity triad within the forest. A detailed analysis is provided of the forest ecosystems comprising the Mediterranean and Saharan ecoregions and the interactions of desertification, loss of biodiversity and climate change are clarified. The discussion covers an analysis of human activities and their impacts, the review of signs showing ecosystem degradation, and also examines sustainable management practices together with successful case studies.