Morocco loses 17,000 hectares of forests annually- report

Morocco loses at least 17,000 hectares of forest lands annually due to climate change and human-induced deforestation, the social economic and environmental council (CESE) said in a new report.

It recommended tree planting, awareness raising to avert over grazing, use of artificial intelligence and more efforts to counter wildfires.

Forests are key to curbing heat-warming carbon dioxide, a key function in fighting global warming.

Forests account for 16% of Moroccan territory which has the second largest biodiversity in the Mediterranean after Turkey.

Forest economy represents 1.5% of Morocco’s GDP or 17 billion dirhams and offers 30% of the country’s wood supply, offering 50,000 jobs.

However, the CESE rang the alarm bell as to the pace of tree cutting, which is three times higher than the reproduction rate.