The National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) in partnership with the NGO Living Planet Morocco is organizing a “Meeting of Civil Society Organizations of the Atlas Cedar Biosphere Reserve” in Ifrane on November 19 and 20, 2024 next ones.
This meeting, long awaited by civil society actors involved in the cause of preserving the Middle Atlas cedar forest, a large part of which is classified by UNESCO as an Atlas Cedar Biosphere Reserve (RBCA), is came at the right time to say “STOP” to the degradation of this national natural heritage.
In the opinion of the organizers of this meeting, particularly ANEF, the Middle Atlas Cedar Grove is a site of major ecological, hydrological and cultural importance for Morocco, sheltering not only unique ecosystems, notably cedar forests and freshwater ecosystems, but also; it is the territory of a rich intangible heritage, including traditions and ancestral knowledge. However, it is specified, this cedar grove faces numerous pressures, including habitat degradation, excessive use of certain natural resources and certain unsustainable tourism practices.
Faced with this major challenge of reconciling economic development and the preservation of environments, the RBCA associations, specifies ANEF, must play the role of disseminator of good practices, particularly in terms of ecodevelopment, ecotourism and education. ‘environment.
From this perspective therefore, the meeting of the Associations for the RBCA in question; aims to bring together a representative sample of Moroccan associations, domiciled and active within the RBCA to share successful experiences in order to build a common base of values and objectives which make it possible to improve the contribution of civil society in the protection of RBCA values.
This event aims in particular to allow the sharing and compilation of good associative practices in the territory of the RBCA, the Co-construction of a common vision for the conservation and valorization of the RBCA and the Co-construction of concepts of ecotourism products dedicated to the RBCA National Parks.
Participating in this meeting alongside ANEF: the NGO Living Planet Morocco, representatives of associations active in the RBCA, government agencies and associated organizations, the Ifrane National Park, the High Atlas Oriental National Park and Khenifra National Park.
On the program of this scientific meeting of Civil Society Organizations of the Atlas Cedar Biosphere Reserve: an introductory presentation around the theme of “Sustainable Tourism in the RBCA, issues and challenges” followed by 06 dedicated working sessions respectively Good practices of ecotourism in the RBCA with presentation of the different possible products (recreational fishing, water sports, horseback riding, hiking and wildlife observation), to the Action Plan with Work by thematic groups, Summary and roadmap for each thematic product, to Good practices of ecotourism in the RBCA with presentation of the Inventory and the cooperative circuits in each of the three National Parks of the RBCA (PNI, PNK and PNHAO), Action Plan and roadmap for each National Park and finally; Good practices in environmental education in the RBCA with sharing of successful experiences in each of the three national parks of the RBCA.
