The decline in populations of protected species and the extinction of some of them demonstrate that it is 

 not enough to just prohibit the hunting of a particular species to safeguard it since other factors should be 

 taken into account, especially the degradation of habitats and poaching. 



Wildlife conservation and in particular of rare and threatened species was included in legal texts but 

 success on the ground was not up to expectations. One of the main difficulties originated from the 

 utilization rights granted to local populations by the 1917 Law on Forests Conservation. This Law 

 transformed all forests into national forests belonging to the State which took over its management. In 

 compensation, forest managers have granted usufruct to local populations (deadwood collection and 

 grazing). Thus, it became practically impossible for wildlife to enjoy some quietude because of the 

 constant presence of herds of livestock even in protected areas. For the conservation of some remarkable 

 species (gazelles, barbary sheep, etc.) the Forestry Administration had to resort to fenced Reserves. 



Nevertheless, it is worth noting that wildlife is now taken into account in forest policies. This positive 

 change has its roots in the beginning of the 1990s when the Ministry of Water and Forests replaced the 

 former directorate for forestry. One of the elements that triggered off this welcome change was the 

 master plan for protected areas launched in 1992. It identified Areas of biological and ecological interest 

 (SIBE: Site d'Intérêt Biologique et Ecologique) of which some are of interest for wildlife. It also 

 formulated management plans for 2 existing national parks (Toubkal and Massa) and identified 3 other 

 national parks. Integrating wildlife into the policy of the High Commission for Waters and Forests and 

 the fight against desertification soon materialized into an FAO project titled 'Sustainable hunting 

 Management for improved conservation and valorization of wildlife in Morocco'. This project had 

 several components. One of the most important components aimed at supporting the forestry 

 administration to develop a policy to enhance the value of certain species through ecotourism or through 

 a sustainable hunting exploitation. This project effectively laid the foundation for a successfiil 

 integration of wildlife into forest management in Morocco. 



Nature & Faune: Could you kindly give details on the ramifications of this successful integration of 

 wildlife into a sustainable management of Morocco's forests as well as the related issues such as 

 improved incomes and food security. Link these points to the country's tourism industry and 

 biodiversity. 



Moulay Youssef Alaoui: As mentioned above, the GCP/MOR/031/CEH project included several 

 components; one of the principal components was the sustainable management of hunting of large game 

 species, specifically those that are of interest to sport hunting and ecotourism. Nevertheless, it was clear 

 that the project must address administrative, legal and institutional issues to enable the different 

 activities to generate jobs in rural areas and income for local populations. 



The wildlife reserves established by the project or those created in the early 1980s by the Directorate of 

 Water and Forests are undoubtedly a success story as far as wildlife populations' dynamics is concerned. 

 The wildlife populations have increased exponentially, contributing to the overall conservation of 

 biodiversity. These gains can be consolidated through the following ways: 



(i) some reserves could be managed as 'nursery reserves'. The aim here is to increase the population of a 

 given species through a well informed hunting managements (breeding, artificial feeding, water supply 

 points) and putting in place anti-poaching measures e.g. by hiring watchmen from the local population. 

 The management plan should determine the number of animals to be captured for release in other zones, 

 (ii) some of the reserves that are easy to access could be allocated to ecotourism. This option 

 necessitates complementary measures such as the training of tour guides. 



(iii) the third option is commercial/sport hunting. This option could be considered only in reserves 

 with large wildlife populations and will enable the creation of jobs such as watchmen/security wardens, 

 hunting technicians and hunting guides. 



The integration of wildlife in forest policy was consolidated through an invitation to tender sent out for 

 the development of ecotourism in the Souss Massa national park near Agadir. Apart from the last colony 



Nature & Faune Vol. 23, Issue 1 _ 60 



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