Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
generally shared by other Moroccan and North-African
countries; others are more speci
promoting the cultural and natural values (including geo-
logical heritage) of the region (e.g. touristic pamphlets pro-
vided by some hotels).
On the other hand, the lack of effective geoconservation
plans under speci
c of this region.
The mainly rural character of the zone and the up-to-date
low degree of urban and industrial development allow vast
areas of this massif keeping relatively pristine compared to
other sites where geological heritage is located in highly
urbanized areas. Thus, a large proportion of surface area of
the sites of geological interest described in the previous
section is in a good state of conservation. Agricultural
development is rather restricted to fertile valleys or plains
and to cultivations in semi-arid and arid forests such in the
case of the Argan, Olive and Almond trees, and they do not
imply any signi
c protection policies and regulations make
this geological heritage extremely vulnerable to bad use and
degradation. The granite landforms, surrounding Tafraoute
village, are particularly vulnerable as they are most accessed,
being exposed to various threats which are likely to involve
their degradation or even their total destruction. These
threats come from some bad practices by local populations
or by visitors unaware about the geological values and the
landscape itself. In this way, certain landforms are masked
by mismatching installations (e.g. Fig.
4
a) and others are
sometimes used for placing advertising panels or making
grafti (e.g. Fig.
3
d).
A particular situation is that of the Painted Rocks in the
geozone referred here as Granite landforms of Tafraoute,
where natural landscape has been arti
cant perturbation or negative impact on the
landscapes and/or on the geological formations. Livestock
activities (mostly sheep and goats) extend further across the
mountains, also being usually well
integrated into the
landscape.
Negative impacts related to urban development are rather
restricted to villages that are growing without environmen-
tal-friendly urbanization plans. This is mostly happening
around the ancient Berber houses in the villages along the
Ameln valley, where modern, but mismatching concrete
constructions are proliferating.
As regards to mineral resources, the mining industry is
currently increasing in this region, with several gold-bearing
(and other metals) deposits being object of exploration in the
Kerdous and adjacent inliers, as reported by the Moroccan
National Of
ed to
some extend through rock painting activities. As stated
before, whether this action represents a positive or negative
impact to geoheritage is presently a matter of discussion. As
recommended by Carreras et al. (
2012
), in those situations
where the effects of human action amplify the interests and
enhance access to geological values, the resulting balance
should be considered positive and compatible with geo-
conservation. In the Painted Rocks case, access to and
curiosity for geoheritage are clearly ampli
cially modi
ce of Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM) on
its web page (
http://www.onhym.com/Mining/
). Most
occurrences are located in the Eburnian basement around the
Izerbi plain, the scenic landscapes there being potentially
threatened. However, the implementation by ONHYM of an
environmental strategy for these mining activities offers
certain warranty for geoconservation.
The recent increase of touristic development in this
region has also proved to be crucial and particularly chal-
lenging in terms of landscape and geological heritage con-
servation. Tafraoute has become one of the most famous and
well reputed touristic destination of the Anti-Atlas region,
not only because it is a charming village with a variety of
cultural values, but also because it is strategically located in
the middle of the picturesque lands whose natural heritage
attracts many visitors every year from all around the world.
The type of tourism developed on this region plays in favour
of geoconservation, because cultural, sportive (hiking,
cycling, rock climbing) and general nature leisure activities
predominate. The touristic actions that are being developed
around Tafraoute can be broadly regarded as positive,
because they are mostly based on a sustainable grow and
promote a respectful use of landscapes and cultural values.
Especially defendable are those actions which are aimed to
restore ancient buildings to be used as touristic infrastruc-
tures (e.g. rural hotels), and the local and private activities
ed, since visitors
are attracted by the site, but the enhancement or decrease of
the intrinsic geological values is a debatable issue. We
consider that the paintings can be maintained as far as the
affected area is not
further expanded,
that
is,
that
the
“
remains restricted to its present location,
and if appropriate measures are taken to ensure compatibility
between landscape safeguarding and geotourism.
painted domain
”
5
Integrating Geoeduction,
Geoconservation and Geotourism:
A
“
3Geos
”
Development Plan
for the Kerdous Area
As described in the previous section, geoheritage of the
Kerdous inlier is vulnerable to certain negative human
impact. The development of merely protectionist policies
and regulations can help to prevent the hazards and threats to
geological heritage. However, truly effective geoconserva-
tion includes the need for educational outreach programs on
the signi
cance and need for conservation of the geological
heritage. Furthermore, touristic activities and infrastructures,
if properly managed, can be not only compatible but also
mutually complementary with geoconservation. These are
the main principles of geotourism, either if regarded as the
