Desertification of arid Rangelands in Morocco

Rangeland or natural arid pastures of Morocco
are ecosystems where there is a natural or seminatural
vegetation composed of steppes, shrubs and
grassland. They cover about 82% of the Moroccan arid
lands. These areas represent livelihoods for thousands
of people and protect the country from desertification.
Despite the importance of the rangelands and the threat
of desertification, it is surprising that up to date there is
no comprehensive assessment of their condition and
their evolution, hindering any plan for desertification
alleviation. However, the available information on
selected pilot areas shows that these rangelands are
threatened by desertification. It’s associated with
biodiversity loss and contributes
to climate change.
The leading causes of land degradation are the human
actions combined with climate. The establishment of a
comprehensive surveillance system based on remote
sensing, biophysics and socio-economic data must be
envisaged to provide policymakers with an operational
tool adapted to the spatio-temporal monitoring of
desertification.