Morocco launched its national reforestation campaign for 2023-2024 on Wednesday in the rural commune of Oulad Bourahma in the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region, marking an important move towards advancing the goals outlined in the “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030″ strategy.”
The initiative, which is being overseen by Abderrahim Houmy, Director General of the National Agency of Water and Forests (ANEF), and Fouad M’hamdi, the Governor of Kenitra, is intended to build on the successes of the “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030” strategy, particularly in reforestation and regional regeneration, with a goal of planting trees over 600,000 hectares nationwide by 2030.
In a press statement, Houmy highlighted, in accordance with King Mohammed VI’s “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030” program, improvements in the sector, focusing on high-quality forest seeds and recent positive strides that have been made, especially in the Kenitra province.
The reforestation programs for Rabat-Sale-Kenitra separately are expected to encompass 50,000 hectares by 2030. For the 2023-2024 campaign, 2,000 hectares are being earmarked for planting with various tree species. With regard to other types of flora, 1.8 million plants are expected to be put in the ground during 2023-2024, and 40 million plants are anticipated by 2030.
ANEF adopted a pivotal strategy involving multi-year contracts for plant supply, enabling forest companies to plan investments based on modern production techniques, thereby ensuring better plant quality. The strategy also involves evaluating reforestation progress in stages, with the hope of minimizing setbacks.
To help in reforestation efforts, ANEF intends to grow 500 million plants of various forest species in nurseries using a dense, rich soil called peat that is found naturally in peatlands, bogs, and mires principally in North Europe and Canada. While the Democratic Republic of Congo has large deposits, the use of peat is rare in Africa. This novel agricultural method is intended to engage the private sector and assure robust, high-quality plant supplies in Morocco’s ongoing reforestation zones.
The Agency has implemented a program to professionalize forest seed management to ensure green sovereignty, genetic traceability of Morocco’s indigenous national forest species, and successful replanting.
The agency has designed an action plan to secure, monitor, and sustainably manage 104 seed sites, including native species such as cedar, cork oak, and argan, with a budget of 12.5 million MAD.
Although the cork oak regeneration program was postponed due to severe weather, plans are now under development for the 2024-2025 campaign which will cover 7,000 hectares, with 3,400 hectares dedicated to regeneration of this particular species.
In a new participatory approach, ANEF has encouraged the active involvement of forest users in the planning and implementation of its programs.
Financial incentives totaling 7 million MAD for the campaign have already been allocated to 18 associations in Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, comprising 2,124 growers. These associations will monitor 11,560 hectares of reforestation areas impacted by pasture restrictions.