Today, Mathias Brummer from WE&B published an interview with Mari Carmen Romera on water conflicts in Morocco: the case of the Réserve de Biosphere de l’Arganeraie.

In the interview Mathias and Mari Carmen talked about past, present and possible future sources of water conflict in the Réserve de Biosphere de l’Arganeraie. Mari Carmen highlighted the cultural, socio-economic and environmental value of the Argan forests. Mari Carmen highlighted how droughts had an influence in the abandonment of traditional terraces for agriculture.

When moving from the past to the present, the current water conflict in the region is related to resource availability in sporadic dry events. Droughts are pushing larger and larger herds of transhumant dromedaries into the Argan forests, which compete directly for the resources of local Berbers who recollect and live on Argan. Both of these activities have undergone a process of incipient industrialization and globalization. So for example, dromedaries have increased from 500 animals in one season to over 8.000 in recent years. Simultaneusly, climate change poses increasing challages for these two traditional activities. Nowadays, dromedaries feed on the Argan trees and pastures while damaging the threes and its flowers. That directly impacts the liveilhoods of Argan tree dependent livelihoods.

A future conflict could be the increasing intensification of agricultural practices with greenhouses and overexploitation of the groundwater resources.

In the blog Mathias and Mari Carmen also talk about strategies to begin a conflict resolution. AfriAlliance Action Groups could be an inspiration for first steps to take in the region. Crucial for the region is to involve all actors and take a holistic approach to address current and future challanes of the Réserve de Biosphere de l’Arganeraie.

For further information read directly the interview Mathias Brummer did in the AfriAlliance blog: Water conflicts at desert limits: the case of the Réserve de Biosphere de l’Arganeraie (Morocco)

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