A research study published by the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis concludes that “profit imbalances through investment and conservation of biodiversity, natural diversity and water resources lead to the continued extinction of Moroccan oases.”

“Oysters have experienced significant decline over the past two decades, especially with groundwater levels declining by 15 to 20 cubic meters per year and a 34 percent drop in date production,” the study said.

“Oasis suffers from the effects of climate change, particularly on its various manifestations, including desertification, sand encroachment, swarms of locusts, wildfires threatening them, and leaf blight.”

The same source pointed out that “the weakness of public policies centered on these areas and the political tensions between the local elites have hampered the approval of several development projects and consolidated efforts to modernize the oasis.”

Oceans cover about 15 percent of Morocco’s total area, and about two million people make up about 5 percent of Morocco’s population. Over the past decade, the Moroccan government has launched plans to conserve and develop desert areas.

The study, co-authored by Ismail Ait Bassou and Abdul Samad Khediri, continued, “Land use laws and hybrid forms of natural resource exploitation combine local and global reconstruction with social vulnerability among farmers and unequal access to resources.”

To this end, the researchers explained that the growth of modern marketing crops, such as the cultivation of “unknown” varieties of dates and red melons, threatens the simple livelihoods and marketing of small farmers in the oasis.

The document emphasizes that “agricultural deposits witnessed by oasis, which began in the 2000s, threatened the oasis habitat with the emergence of large investments in the cultivation of ‘unknown’ date palms. Red watermelon cultivation.”

Small farmers’ practices threaten the oasis, according to the study, “The facilities provided to these farmers for the acquisition of solar panels, which are considered to be environmentally friendly, are now being spent by farmers to exploit water wells, which has led to the depletion of wells across regions.”

In this regard, the study confirmed, “The restoration of oasis depends on the smooth management of water resources, and accelerates the current and future projects in the region, formulating modern strategies to meet the growing demand for water. With climate change. “

All in all, the study recommended “establishing a strict legal framework for the issuance of investment licenses and the rational distribution of water in accordance with the ecological balance of the oasis.” It is through the development of tracking and monitoring systems of local and regional committees that are consistently aligned with investment projects. Everyone agrees that anyone who violates these standards will be fined.

“At the level of land use management, new oases are required to be created, based on the crops developed by the local population and adapted to these areas because they are dominated by subsistence farming or simple marketing. Allocated land for large investments.” It called for the unification of the efforts of various actors and partners in Moroccan oasis politics, the development of oasis, the achievement of sustainable development goals, the strengthening of institutional coordination among them, and the value of supporting farmers, both financially and ethically in the context of the effects of climate change.