The city of Ifrane should receive the label of “Wetland City” during the 14th session of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14), which will be held from November 5 to 13, 2022, in Wuhan China.
It was chosen from a host of candidate cities, of which only 25 new ones were awarded this global recognition. This Ifrane distinction is the first of its kind in the Kingdom. It was on the occasion of the celebration of World Wetlands Day in 2020 held in Ifrane, that the Secretary General of Employment of the city officially announced its candidacy for the title of “City of Wetlands approved by the Ramsar Convention” and its support for the preparation of the application file by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Planète Vivante Maroc (Living Planet).
It is also mentioned that during the celebration of World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2022 and in preparation for this accreditation, the city of Ifrane, in partnership with WWF and Planète Vivante Maroc, organized an awareness campaign to protect natural and aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity under the slogan “Ifrane ♥ Nature” (Ifrane loves nature.)
That said, the participatory approach between the province and the urban municipality of Ifrane, the National Agency for Water and Forests, and the latter having allowed access to this accreditation, it is therefore recognized the commitment of the city to protect its urban wetlands for the benefit of people and nature. This label is also a call to strengthen its management of the conservation of wetlands, particularly Oued Tizguite in the Val d’Ifrane and the Zerrouka water body, to provide sustainable social and economic benefits for its inhabitants, and for the conservation and development of fauna and flora.
Ifrane thus joins the happy few of “Wetland Cities”, bringing together 43 regions in 17 countries. This sign will encourage the city of Ifrane to strengthen its management of wetland conservation and bring lasting social and economic benefits to the local population.
It will develop and foster a positive relationship with these valuable ecosystems, including through public participation and awareness, as well as careful consideration of wetlands in urban planning and decision-making.
The Ramsar Convention, officially relating to wetlands of international importance particularly as habitats of waterfowl, is an international treaty on the conservation and sustainable management of these areas, adopted in 1972 in the city of Ramsar in Iran (from where his name) we recall.
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