ASSESSMENT OF RANGE LANDS DEGRADATION IN THE TIMAHDIT AREA.

ASSESSMENT OF RANGE LANDS DEGRADATION IN THE

TIMAHDIT AREA

Morocco: 53 millions ha

Range lands

Range lands in Morocco

30% of the requierements of livestock

Middle Atlas : 1,2 millions d’ha

22% National livestock

74% national territory

3,5 billoins of UF

2.26% of national rangelands

58% of the requierements

Location of the study area

• The Ait arfa du Guigou territory which account for the rural community of Timahdit which is located 33 km south of the city of Azrou on the National Road 13 going from Meknès to Midelt.

Timahdit

Study site : The Ait Arfa du Guigou Tribe

5

Climate

City of Azrou

City of Ifrane

Humidity

Climate

Evapotranspiration •Evapotranspiration averaged (in Azrou for the period 2006-2011) = 3.08 mm/day. •Evapotranspiration varies from 1.6 mm/day in December-January to 5.8 mm/day in June.

Geomorphology

Soils

Two major types:•Those that are derived from basaltic prent materiel: Brown soils found in depressions, vertisols, lithosols and andosols.•Those that are derived from limestone and dolomitic parent material: Red soils, renzines.•Most soils are shalow and extremely stony.

Elevation

Vegetation

Agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture

Livestock

Population (census 2004)

Evolution of the population

Population Structure

Illiteracy rate and langages spoken and written

Population activity

Employment status of employed and unemployed who have worked

Population aged 10 and over by educational attainment

Housing type

Housing tenure

Age of dwellings

Basic equipment housing

Other equipments

IAV HASSAN II - Septembre 2011

Storyline of the study area

Contribution à l’étude de la dégradation des parcours au Moyen Atlas : Cas de la fraction des Aït Ben Yacoub de la tribu des Aït Arfa du Guigou

PeriodPrinciples eventsPrinciples events Responses to eventsResponses to events

19th centryArrival of the Béni M’Guild tribe

Occupation of space

Délimitation of forests 1917

Délimitation of collective lands 1919

Restriction of space for grazing

French colonisation of lands 1935 Reduction of space for grazing

Cropping of low lands

Installation of King Ranch 10 000 hecatres

1966 Reduction of grazing lands

Double transhum

ance

IAV HASSAN II - Septembre 2011

Story line of the study area

Contribution à l’étude de la dégradation des parcours au Moyen Atlas : Cas de la fraction des Aït Ben Yacoub de la tribu des Aït Arfa du Guigou

PeriodMain eventsMain events ResponsesResponses

1980’sProject of Middle Atlas funded by the world bank

Delimitation of collective grazing lands for the

different sub-fractions

1990’s

Sedentarisation of producers and settlements on high land pastures

Expanses of cropping lands and reduction of grazing areas

More pronounced reduction in grazing lands

2009Plan Maroc Vert Intensification of the agriculture

Break down in the double transhum

ance

IAV HASSAN II - Septembre 2011

Main national development policies of grazing land

Contribution à l’étude de la dégradation des parcours au Moyen Atlas : Cas de la fraction des Aït Ben Yacoub de la tribu des Aït Arfa du Guigou

PeriodPeriod PoliciesPolicies

25 july1969Code des Investissements Agricoles (Agricultural

Investment Code)Installation of 18Perimeter for

Pastoral Improvments

27 October 1995

2009 Plan Maroc Vert

Law Number 33 – 94 for the Development of the Perimeter in run fed areas that include

grazing ares

IAV HASSAN II - Septembre 2011

Main regional development policies of grazing land

Contribution à l’étude de la dégradation des parcours au Moyen Atlas : Cas de la fraction des Aït Ben Yacoub de la tribu des Aït Arfa du Guigou

PeriodPeriod PoliciesPolicies

1950 to 1970Preventive Health campaign

with socio economical incidence

1970s’Perimeters for pastoral

improvement (Timahdit)

1980’s & 1990’s

2000’s Intensification of Agriculture

Intergrated Development Projects (Middle Atlas Project

funded by World Bank)

IAV HASSAN II - Septembre 2011

Range lands use

Contribution à l’étude de la dégradation des parcours au Moyen Atlas : Cas de la fraction des Aït Ben Yacoub de la tribu des Aït Arfa du Guigou

Range lands useRange lands use

Nouabs: delimita

tion

Survey of users: 514

users

Tribal origin

Settlement (GPS)

Date of settlement

Home rangeSize of flock

IAV HASSAN II - Septembre 2011

Range lands use

Contribution à l’étude de la dégradation des parcours au Moyen Atlas : Cas de la fraction des Aït Ben Yacoub de la tribu des Aït Arfa du Guigou

Range lands useRange lands use

Nouabs: delimita

tion

Survey of users: 514

users

AgricultureMobility of

flocks Suplementation

Flock manageme

ntWatering animals

Main LEDD ProblemsMain LEDD Problems

First main findings

During the last 50 years there has been a graet amount of changes :•In land occupation: More land devoted to agriculture, intensification of agriculture, degradation of range lands by overgrazing;•Change in the managements of sheep flocks;•Change in the instutions that regulate and control the use of resources.

1998

37

AgricultureAgricultureAstagalusAstagalusPelousePelouseMatorral à GenistaMatorral à GenistaPelouse humidePelouse humideXerophyt matoralXerophyt matoral

2007 1998

38

AgricultureAgricultureAstragalusAstragalusXérophytes épineusesXérophytes épineusesThymus Matorral Thymus Matorral

Farmers cleaning from the stones

Proportion of goats owned privately and in association by contracts

Type of contracts used between sheep producers in the fraction of Ait Beni Hcine