15/08/2005 – WWF welcomes
the decision by the Moroccan government to
designate 20 new wetland sites in the country,
which will be protected under the Ramsar Convention
on Wetlands. These new sites will be added
to the four sites already protected by the
Convention since 1980.
“We are encouraged by the authorities to
protect these sites of international importance,”
said Mohammed Rahoui, WWF-Morocco’s Freshwater
Programme Coordinator.
"In the absence of specific wetlands
legislation in Morocco, the Ramsar designation
constitutes an additional asset to better
protect and use the resources found at these
sites.”
The decision by the Moroccan government to
increase the number and area of protected
wetland sites is a result of collaboration
between Morocco’s High Commission for Water
and Forests and Combating Desertification,
and the Scientific Institute of Rabat, with
support from WWF through its freshwater programmes.
The wetlands selected by the Moroccan government
represent, together with the already existing
Ramsar sites, an area of 243,260ha.
Many of the sites, such as the Complexe du
bas Loukkos, the Embouchure de l'oued Dr'a,
Embouchure de la Moulouya, Embouchures des
oueds Chbeyka-Al Wa'er, and Zones humides
de l'oued El Maleh comprise river estuaries
and salt marshes which play a very important
role as refuge, resting, and wintering sites
for migratory birds, many of which are endangered,
including the marbled teal, ferruginous duck,
ruddy shelduck, and Audouin’s gull.
A number of sites also include artificial
wetland types, such as dam reservoirs, oases
associated with irrigated palm plantations,
and salt works, which play an important socio-economic
role and still host some significant species
such as endemic fish and plants, and waterbirds,
such as waders. These include the Barrage
Al Massira, Barrage Mohammed V, Complexe de
Sidi Moussa-Walidia, Moyenne Dr'a, Oasis du
Tafilalet, and Sebkha Zima.
Some sites are relatively pristine, such
as the Zones Humides de Souss-Massa, which
are part of a national park, while others
including the Complexe du bas Tahaddart have
suffered from high rates of development and
are therefore in more need of stringent conservation
measures. Other threats include overconsumption
of water, particularly for agriculture and
tourism, as well as pollution from industry
and agriculture.
“The designation of these new Ramsar sites
will contribute to preserving these key wetland
areas in Morocco,” said Francesca Antonelli,
Freshwater Officer with WWF’s Mediterranean
Programme Office.
“We are now calling on the Moroccan government
to continue to engage in the fight against
threats to these unique habitats.”
END NOTES:
• Wetlands are defined to include rivers,
lakes, swamps, and marine areas less than
six metres in depth.
• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands — signed
in 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran — is an
intergovernmental treaty which provides the
framework for national action and international
cooperation for the conservation and wise
use of wetlands and their resources. There
are currently 146 Contracting Parties to the
Convention, with 1,458 wetland sites, totalling
over 125.4 million hectares, designated for
inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of
International Importance.
• Member countries of the Ramsar treaty are
obliged to: manage all wetlands in a sustainable
manner, promoting the wise use of all wetlands
within their territory; consult with other
Parties about the implementation of the Convention,
especially with regard to trans-frontier wetlands,
shared water systems, shared species, and
development; and designate wetlands that meet
the criteria for inclusion in the List of
Wetlands of International Importance for conservation.
