The National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) and the European Union (EU) together commemorated the International Day for Biodiversity by carrying out, on Tuesday, a field visit to the Souss Massa National Park in Agadir.
On the occasion of this day celebrated by countries around the world, including Morocco, Abderrahim Houmy, Director General of ANEF made, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, a field visit to the Souss Massa National Park in Agadir , accompanied by a delegation led by the EU Ambassador to Morocco and a delegation of 9 Ambassadors from EU Member States accredited to Morocco.
The celebration of this day is an opportunity for ANEF to highlight the efforts made in terms of the conservation of endangered species and the development of the network of protected areas which are the main components of the biodiversity conservation programme.
It should be noted that the actions deployed by the Agency are part of the “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030” strategy launched on February 13, 2020 by King Mohammed VI. This strategy constitutes an important turning point in forest management in general and the conservation of biodiversity in particular by contributing significantly to the implementation of the new Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework provides for the conservation of at least 30% of natural ecosystems in land and sea areas through systems of protected areas and other effective conservation measures.
To this end, ANEF and its partners, in particular the EU, ensure the development of programs for the conservation of current national parks and their ecotourism enhancement and the strengthening of current wildlife conservation programs and their extension to other endangered or extinct species. It also plans to launch the creation of new protected areas and to set up a natural heritage information system which allows the mobilization of the scientific and technical community around the conservation of nature.
In addition, the visit of the two partners to the National Park of Souss Massa made it possible to learn about the various programs for safeguarding extinct and reintroduced animal species, in particular the addax, the oryx and the red-necked ostrich. It was also an opportunity to visit the Oued Massa Ramsar site to discover the collection of migratory birds it houses.
The park’s eco-museum, a jewel that has just been created, will constitute an infrastructure for ecotourism and awareness of the protection of nature in general and of the Souss Massa National Park in particular.
It should be recalled that the assessment of cooperation between Morocco and the EU in the forestry sector reports a set of programs and projects that were carried out jointly with European partners and which concerned several themes, among others: climate change, the conservation of biodiversity, the management of protected areas and the fight against desertification.
Moreover, it is in this same spirit that the new “Green Earth” program initiated at the end of 2022 with the support of the EU, aims to support the “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030” strategy by promoting a creative ecological transition. decent jobs in forestry development.