Climate Change and Its Impacts on Oases Ecosystem in Morocco

Abstract

Today, the international community agrees that climate change is one of the most important threats to the equilibrium of ecosystems. For its part, Morocco is not immune to this phenomenon because of climatic disturbances that the country has known for several years. Moroccan oases are among the most affected ecosystems by climate change, which has resulted in reduced yields of agricultural production, poverty, and deterioration of natural resources. The reports showed that in Morocco the area of palm groves has been significantly reduced during the last decades resulting from the upsurge of drought phenomena, soil salinity, and the spread of “Bayoud.” Therefore, the deterioration of the socio-economic and environmental importance of the date palm is well established. Aware of these issues, many actions have been initiated by the Moroccan government to preserve this ecosystem. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of how climate change affects different levels of oases ecosystem in Morocco and to propose sustainable strategies to limit degradation of this vulnerable area.