Ecosystem Services-Climate-Health Associations

Abstract

Water is the main ecosystem service that supports the oasis system. Middle Draa Valley is an oasis zone located in the south of Morocco. The water availability in this area is the key element of vegetation cover change. This change added to other factors can cause some parasitic diseases. The zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of these diseases. In this chapter, an analysis of the interaction between some key risk factors and the disease transmission was carried out. The outputs of this work rivaled that there is a very strong correlation between this disease and ecosystem services such as water stored and the dam outflow (directed to the oasis for the irrigation), and the groundwater availability. Regarding the correlation between this vector-borne disease and the cropping area, a strong correlation was recorded. However, for the relationship between leishmaniasis and the precipitation and the dam inflow, average correlations were found. Basically, in MDV, the water availability is the first element that affects an ensemble of processes that cause the disease infection.