• Energy Research

Les actes de la 1re Rencontre scientifique internationale sur les oasis, ISMO 2023, se sont concentrés sur le thème ''Quel apport de la recherche scientifique pour la sauvegarde et le développement des oasis?'' et ont eu lieu à Errachidia du 20 au 22 novembre 2023. The proceedings of the 1st International Scientific Meeting on Oases, ISMO 2023, focused on the theme ''What contribution does scientific research make to the preservation and development of oases?'' and took place in Errachidia from November 20 to 22, 2023.

Les actes de la 1re Rencontre scientifique internationale sur les oasis, ISMO 2023, se sont concentrés sur le thème ''Quel apport de la recherche scientifique pour la sauvegarde et le développement des oasis?'' et ont eu lieu à Errachidia du 20 au 22 novembre 2023. The proceedings of the 1st International Scientific Meeting on Oases, ISMO 2023, focused on the theme ''What contribution does scientific research make to the preservation and development of oases?'' and took place in Errachidia from November 20 to 22, 2023.

Terraced agroecosystems (TAS)—apart from being an important cultural heritage element—are considered vital for sustainable water resource management and climate change adaptation measures. However, this traditional form of agriculture, with direct implications in food security at a local scale, has been suffering from abandonment or degradation worldwide. In light of this, the need to fully comprehend the complex linkage of their abandonment with different driving forces is essential. The identification of these dynamics makes possible an appropriate intervention with local initiatives and policies on a larger scale. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to introduce a comprehensive multidisciplinary framework that maps the dynamics of the investigated TAS’s abandonment, by defining cause–effect relationships on a hydrogeological, ecological and social level, through tools from System Dynamics studies. This methodology is implemented in the case of Assaragh TAS, a traditional oasis agroecosystem in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas, characterized by data scarcity. Through field studies, interviews, questionnaires and freely accessible databases, the TAS’s abandonment, leading to a loss in agrobiodiversity, is linked to social rather than climatic drives. Additionally, measures that can counteract the phenomenon and strengthen the awareness of the risks associated with climate change and food security are proposed.

Terraced agroecosystems (TAS)—apart from being an important cultural heritage element—are considered vital for sustainable water resource management and climate change adaptation measures. However, this traditional form of agriculture, with direct implications in food security at a local scale, has been suffering from abandonment or degradation worldwide. In light of this, the need to fully comprehend the complex linkage of their abandonment with different driving forces is essential. The identification of these dynamics makes possible an appropriate intervention with local initiatives and policies on a larger scale. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to introduce a comprehensive multidisciplinary framework that maps the dynamics of the investigated TAS’s abandonment, by defining cause–effect relationships on a hydrogeological, ecological and social level, through tools from System Dynamics studies. This methodology is implemented in the case of Assaragh TAS, a traditional oasis agroecosystem in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas, characterized by data scarcity. Through field studies, interviews, questionnaires and freely accessible databases, the TAS’s abandonment, leading to a loss in agrobiodiversity, is linked to social rather than climatic drives. Additionally, measures that can counteract the phenomenon and strengthen the awareness of the risks associated with climate change and food security are proposed.

Climate change is expected to greatly alter and modify the ecological conditions of plant growth and distribution, particularly in the Mediterranean Basin, considered as one of the most vulnerable zone to global warming in the world. In this chapter, we look at the biogeography of the olive tree, an emblematic species of the Mediterranean Basin, represented in Morocco by two wild subspecies: Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris, the ancestor of all the olive varieties and widely distributed in the country, and Olea e. subsp. maroccana, endemic in a restricted southwestern area. We hypothesis, within the context of future warming, an increase of O. e. subsp. e. var. sylvestris distribution area is expected, while for O. e. subsp. maroccana, an alteration of its distribution is predicted, increasing seriously the risk of extinction. In order to assess the current and future potential geographic distribution of the two wild olive species in Morocco, a species distribution based-modelling was performed to understand the relationships between species distributions and climatic factors, on the basis of field data and 19 climatic variables. Two representative concentration pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, were used to forecast the future distribution of the two wild olive subspecies in 2050 and 2070. To avoid multicollinearity, the highly correlated climatic variables (r > 0.9, Pearson correlation coefficient) were deleted from the independent variables list. The Jackknife test was carried out to evaluate the relevance of the climatic variables for predictive modeling. The maximum entropy model for the current distribution of both species provides a satisfactory result, with a high value of the Area Under Curve equal to 0.980 (±0.001) for Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris and equal to 0.997 (±0.001) for Olea europaea subsp. maroccana. Jackknife test indicates that precipitation and temperature variables play a significance role in wild olive species biogeographical dynamics in Morocco. The study results confirm our hypothesis of an expansion of O. e. subsp. e. var. sylvestris suitable area and the threatened aspect of Olea e. subsp. maroccana under climate change scenarios. The approach used in this study is promising to predict the potential distribution of wild olive species, and can be an effective tool to support conservation and restoration programs

Climate change is expected to greatly alter and modify the ecological conditions of plant growth and distribution, particularly in the Mediterranean Basin, considered as one of the most vulnerable zone to global warming in the world. In this chapter, we look at the biogeography of the olive tree, an emblematic species of the Mediterranean Basin, represented in Morocco by two wild subspecies: Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris, the ancestor of all the olive varieties and widely distributed in the country, and Olea e. subsp. maroccana, endemic in a restricted southwestern area. We hypothesis, within the context of future warming, an increase of O. e. subsp. e. var. sylvestris distribution area is expected, while for O. e. subsp. maroccana, an alteration of its distribution is predicted, increasing seriously the risk of extinction. In order to assess the current and future potential geographic distribution of the two wild olive species in Morocco, a species distribution based-modelling was performed to understand the relationships between species distributions and climatic factors, on the basis of field data and 19 climatic variables. Two representative concentration pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, were used to forecast the future distribution of the two wild olive subspecies in 2050 and 2070. To avoid multicollinearity, the highly correlated climatic variables (r > 0.9, Pearson correlation coefficient) were deleted from the independent variables list. The Jackknife test was carried out to evaluate the relevance of the climatic variables for predictive modeling. The maximum entropy model for the current distribution of both species provides a satisfactory result, with a high value of the Area Under Curve equal to 0.980 (±0.001) for Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris and equal to 0.997 (±0.001) for Olea europaea subsp. maroccana. Jackknife test indicates that precipitation and temperature variables play a significance role in wild olive species biogeographical dynamics in Morocco. The study results confirm our hypothesis of an expansion of O. e. subsp. e. var. sylvestris suitable area and the threatened aspect of Olea e. subsp. maroccana under climate change scenarios. The approach used in this study is promising to predict the potential distribution of wild olive species, and can be an effective tool to support conservation and restoration programs