Environmental education in Sidi Boughaba
Belemlih, A.
2011. Environmental education in wetland sites: the case of the Centre National
d’Education Environnementale de Sidi Boughaba, Morocco. In: Papayannis,
T. & Pritchard, D. E. (2011), Culture and Wetlands in the Mediterranean: an
Evolving Story. Athens, Med-INA. pp. 317-324.
Abstract
Wetlands
have multiple values but face many threats and are complex ecosystems. Interventions
for their conservation are not easy to make and must involve multiple actors;
environmental education plays a fundamental role in raising awareness and
helping the parties involved to act in synergy. In order to contribute to this
awareness, the wetland of Sidi Boughaba (SBG) is a good example of
international institutions (the European Union, BirdLife International, the Society
for the Protection of Animals Abroad ‘SPANA/UK’) and
national ones (the Government of Morocco, the Société Protectrice des Animaux
et de la Nature ‘SPANA/Maroc’) joining forces, in this case to create a
National Centre of Environmental Education (CNEE) at the site. The site is
classified as a national heritage area because of its history and its
biodiversity richness, and is also included in the Ramsar list. It consists of
a permanent biological reserve with a natural forest of red juniper and a fresh
water lake where several species of water birds are regularly observed, some of
which –most significantly the endangered Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta
angustirostris) – nest there. The development of an environmental education
programme led to the creation of the CNEE; following an assessment of its
activities, a new agreement was signed with the Moroccan forestry department
regarding the management of the entire SBG site by SPANA. Overall, the
challenge is to develop and apply a management plan for the site which will
involve all the actors concerned as well as the local population, thus
eliminating any potential threat to the site. A ‘Culture and Nature project is
also under development at the Sidi Boughaba site, the Kasbah and the beach.
Marabout
and the ruins of Mehdya Kasbah, the lake of Sidi Boughaba in the background.
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A school
group visiting the Sidi Boughaba site.
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