Articles

Water and Wetlands in the Mediterranean. “From Grado to Agadir: The next twenty years”

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The Ramsar Convention and its MedWet Initiative and the High Commissariat for Water, Forests and Desertification Control of Morocco announce the organisation of an International Symposium on "Water and Wetlands in the Mediterranean" , to be held from 6 to 8 February 2012 in the city of Agadir in Morocco. BirdLife International, IUCN, the Tour du Valat Research Centre, Wetlands International and WWF International are key partners in the organisation of the Symposium. In February 1991, a first pan-Mediterranean conference on wetlands was held in the town of Grado, in northern Italy which adopted the goal to ‘stop and reverse the loss and degradation of Mediterranean wetlands’. This led to the implementation of important measures for the conservation and wise use of these unique ecosystems and the establishment of the MedWet Initiative (MedWet). Twenty years after the Grado conference, this new International Symposium aims to review the current situation of water an

Moulouya en Danger

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"A nouveau, l'eau en provenance de Aïn Zebda qui alimentait la zone humide de la Moulouya, a été détournée par le canal de protection des inondations qui a été construit par l'Agence du Bassin Hydraulique de la Moulouya! Le desséchement menace la zone humide de Moulouya qui constitue un refuge pour les oiseaux migrateurs notamment le Flamant Rose".

Save Moroccan Wetlands

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Dear readers, We renamed this blog from “ Non à la Destruction des Marais et Lagune de Smir ” to “ Save Moroccan Wetlands ”, we did so not because “the Smir wetland cause is over” but to focus on all Moroccan wetlands to avoid the unfortunate fate of Smir wetland. This blog will be the place to publicise any news and actions about the conservation of ALL Moroccan wetlands.  Of course, we won't forget Smir wetland, on the contrary we will use the picture of its destruction in header of the blog (the picture below).

Maquinaria pesada - Heavy machinery

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Jose Juan Diaz en Facebook: "Maquinaria pesada tapando una laguna donde viven multitud de aves en peligro de extinción como estas Fochas morunas, Garcillas cangrejeras y Calamones. Esto sucede en la laguna MDIQ, en Marruecos ‏ . Esta situada entre Ceuta y Tetuán. Una verdadera lástima. Esos ejemplares de abajo son Fochas morunas" The project of " Ritz Calton Tamuda Bay ", Smir wetland, M’diq, northern Morocco, (Photo: Jose Juan Diaz) Translation : Heavy machinery covering a lagoon where many endangered birds breed as Red-knobbed Coot ( Fulica cristata ) , Purple Swamphen ( Porphyrio porphyrio ) and Squacco Heron ( Ardeola ralloides ).   This happens in   MDIQ   lagoon i.e. Smir lagoon   in Morocco.   It is located between   Ceuta  and Tétouan. A real shame.   Those   below are   Red-knobbed Coots.

Lagune de Smir entre hier et aujourd'hui

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Cette photographie prise avant 2004, publié dans le rapport de "Programme d'Aménagement Côtier de la Méditerranée marocaine" produit par Mohamed Dakki au compte du "Ministère de l’Aménagement du Territoire, de l’Eau et de l’Environnement".  Dakki, M. 2004. Programme d'Aménagement Côtier de la Méditerranée marocaine. Ministère de l’Aménagement du Territoire, de l’Eau et de l’Environnement, Rabat. Lagune de Smir avant 2004. Photo : Mohamed Dakki.  et l'état actuel de la Zone Humide de Smir: L’état actuel de la lagune de Smir. Noter la destruction massive des habitats naturels de la lagune et leur entourage. Spatules blanche ( Platalea leucorodia ) au milieu de la lagune. No comment !    Destruction de la lagune de Smir. Noter les mêmes Spatules blanche ( Platalea leucorodia ) de la photo ci-dessous au fond. Hérons cendré ( Ardea cinerea ) au milieu de la lagune!  Destruction des marais de Smir. La crème de la

Mission consultative Ramsar – Moulouya

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Mission consultative Ramsar – Rapport n° 71 : Moulouya, Maroc (2010) Etabli par : Patrick TRIPLET, Mohammed DAKKI, Imad CHERKAOUI, Maria J de LOPE & Alexia DUFOUR     Synthèse et liste des recommandations Inscrit sur la Liste de Ramsar le 15 janvier 2005 sous le N°1478, le site de l’Embouchure de la Moulouya couvre une superficie de 4 500 hectares et se situe au Nord-Est dans la province de Berkane et la province de Nador (Zone littorale méditerranéenne entre Saïdia et le Cap de l'Eau), à cheval entre les Communes de Ras El Ma (province de Nador), de Saïdia et Madagh (province de Berkane). Ce site fut inventorié dans le Plan Directeur des Aires Protégées du Maroc (AEFCS 1996), où il est identifié comme Site d'Intérêt Biologique et Écologique. Outre son importance pour le maintien de la diversité biologique, il fournit des services écosystémiques essentiels, notamment comme source de ressources naturelles et de revenus pour les populations

Wetlands and the Islamic perception of nature

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This chapter appeared in the same book as the previous blog post about the  Environmental education in Sidi Boughaba (this is useful to compare what we should do and what we actually do ). Benessaiah, N. 2011. Wetlands and the Islamic perception of nature. In: Papayannis, T. & Pritchard, D. E. (2011), Culture and Wetlands in the Mediterranean: an Evolving Story, Athens, Med-INA. pp. 362-371. Abstract : Islam is the main religion in the southern Mediterranean, and for this reason it is important for the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative and any other organisation working towards the conservation of natural resources, to examine its perspectives, principles and laws concerning the environment. A better understanding of Islamic traditions can lead to more effective, locally-tailored plans for the conservation of water and wetlands. Water is a central theme in the Qur’an, in religious practice, in Islamic Law – Shari’a and in Islamic society at large. Each of these aspects is

Environmental education in Sidi Boughaba

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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 Nat

Climate change and Morocco Mediterranean coast

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Le suivant est "ce que les politiciens et les businessmen corrompus ne veulent pas entendre et admettre". The following is "what the politicians and the corrupt businessmen do not want to hear and admit". Anfuso G. & Nachite D. 2011.   Climate change and the Mediterranean southern coasts .   In : Jones A.L. & Phillips M. (editors): Disappearing destinations: climate change and future challenges for coastal tourism.  CABI, Oxford.   Cet article/chapitre représente le résumé de la recherche de ces deux chercheurs (Giorgio Anfuso, Universidad de Cadiz et Driss Nachite, Université Abdelmalek Essaadi, Tétouan ) sur les côtes marocaines et surtout celles de la région de Tétouan. Je vous présente ici quelques passages extraits de   GoogleBooks  : Sea Level Rise trend in the Mediterreanean littoral of Morocco Cazenave   et al .   (2001) investigated sea level changes in the Mediterranean Sea in the 1993-1999 period through data obtain

Lagune de Smir ce week-end

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Lagune de Smir , Flamants rose ( Phoenicopterus roseus ), et engins de destruction massive Lagune de Smir, 25 septembre 2011