Desertification and Its Control in Morocco - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 89

off-site effects, such as silting of dams. In Morocco more than 50 million m 3 of
sediment are deposited each year in dams' reservoirs. This volume corresponds to
a loss equivalent to the volume of water needed to irrigate 5,000 ha (AGR/DAF
2001 ). To efficiently reduce these offsite effects, adequate government interventions
are needed. This may include incentives to implement soil and water conservation
practices to farmers (see below).
Fisheries is another important sector as it represents 55 % of agricultural food
exports and maintains some 400,000 jobs. Handicrafts contribute 10 % to the GDP
and offers jobs to about 1.5 million people.
Tourism is of growing importance to the economy. With 2.5 million tourists in
1999, it contributes 7.8 % to the GDP, and helps maintain about 0.5 million jobs.
Desertification and active land degradation threaten tourism.
Mining and energy represent 10 % of the GDP. Morocco has the world's third
largest deposits of phosphate, but a stagnant market and lower world prices have
reduced the contribution made by this previously important export earner. A small
manufacturing sector is growing and bringing export revenues. Consumer goods
and semi-finished goods now account for about half of Morocco's export earnings.
About 15 % of the labor force works abroad, mainly in European countries such as
Belgium and France, and the money these workers send back to Morocco helps to
offset the country's large foreign debt.

2 Climate

Morocco is characterized by a Mediterranean climate. Rainfall occurs within the
cool season, while the warm season is hot and dry over much of the country.
However, owing to its latitudinal location, and as well as the influence of the Atlantic
Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and that of the powerful Atlas mountain ranges
between the southern Saharan and the other zones, the climatic conditions are quite
diverse. In fact, this diversity made it ideally suited for the bioclimatic classification
of the Mediterranean.
The main bioclimatic subdivisions are:

- Saharan or desert , with annual rainfall less than 100 mm and erratic. Winter

temperatures are mild along the Atlantic coast, but become cool some 10 km
inland and cold further inland;

- Arid , with annual rainfall ranging from 100 to 400 mm. This concerns the

southern fringe of the Atlas mountains, the Moulouya Valley, the Eastern High
Plateaus, the Souss plain and the plains north of the Atlas. Winter temperature
subdivisions vary from warm (Atlantic and Eastern Mediterranean coast), to
temperate, cool and cold. This latter situation is encountered inland in portions
of the Moulouya Valley, and more extensively on the Eastern High Plateaus;

- Semi-arid , with annual rainfall ranging from 400 to 600 mm. This concerns the

major cereal regions such as the plains of Doukkala, Chaouia, Gharb, Saiss,
as well as large portions of the Anti Atlas, High Atlas, Middle Atlas, Central