Desertification and Its Control in Morocco - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 97

Tabl e 5. 2 Donor-supported projects for combating desertification in Morocco
Title of the Project

Countries Donor/Program Comments

Systeme de gestion
d'information scientifique
dans la region de
Sahel-Doukkala, Maroc

Morocco LIFE Third

Countries

LIFE

Amenagement hydro-agricole
du perimetre de Sahla au
Nord de la province de
Taounate

Morocco MEDA I

Bilateral

EC Delegation

Appui au developpement rural
integre

Morocco MEDA I

Bilateral

EC Delegation

Le developpement rural
participatif dans le Moyen
Atlas central

Morocco MEDA II

Bilateral

EC Delegation

Appui a la situation de l'emploi
de la femme rurale et gestion
durable de l'arganerie

Morocco MEDA II

Bilateral

EC Delegation

Developpement participatif des
zones forestieres de la
province de Chefchaouen

Morocco MEDA I

Bilateral

EC Delegation

Forestry Development Project Morocco World Bank

Irrigation based Community
Development

Morocco World Bank World Bank

Emergency Drought Recovery
Project

Morocco World Bank World Bank

Implementation of pilot systems
to monitor the
desertification in two
countries of the southern
coast of the Mediterranean:
Tunisia and Morocco

Tunisia,
Morocco

LIFE Third
Countries

LIFE

Participatory Control of
Desertification and Poverty
Reduction in the Arid and
Semi-Arid High Plateau
Ecosystems of Eastern
Morocco

Morocco GEF OP15 Land

degradation

IFAD

Overall, negotiations between Morocco and its cooperation partners have gen-
erated a total of 1.8 billion dirham (about USD 225 million) to finance integrated
projects to combat desertification. Combating desertification is central to not only
climate change issues, biodiversity preservation, and water and soil conservation,
but also to food security and combating poverty. In Morocco, 93 % of land is
affected by desertification processes resulting from unpredictable rainfall, which
has tended to decline with unequal and irregular distribution for nearly a century.
The situation is exacerbated by human pressures: an imbalance between the
demand for and scarce supply of water; vulnerability and overexploitation of forest
ecosystems, rangelands, and already limited soil resources. The per capita useable