UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory

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UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory

Morocco

South Moroccan Oasis

The South Moroccan Oasis holds the largest wetland in the world. The biosphere features inter-linked ecosystems of oases and date palms, forests, desert and semi-desert habitats, temperate grasslands, mixed mountains and highlands. The waterscape brings together Tafilalet in Draa wetlands and the basins of Ouarzazate, Tinerhir and Errachidia. The oasis represents a crossroad for tribes and a resting site for the migratory bird species on their flyways from Europe to Africa. The landscape features the High Atlas in the north and the Anti-Atlas in the west, alluvial plains, depressions and stony deserts named ‘Hamadas’. Forests and woodlands host the Spanish juniper, Phoenician juniper and holm oak and umbrella thorn acacia. The endemic Warionia saharae, locally known in the Berber language as ‘afessas’ or ‘tazart n-îfiss’, finds refuge in the rocky habitats of the biosphere. The South Moroccan Oasis is a safe haven for the Dorcas gazelle and the Cuvier’s gazelle and Barbary sheep. Indigenous communities use the ‘Drinn’ (Aristida pungens) for food and forage and the ‘henna’ (Lawsonia inermis) in beauty products, medicine and textiles. On the foothills of the High Atlas, a historical town designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is located. The area evokes memories of the famous traditional pre-Saharan human settlements ‘Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou’ with its significant architectural value.

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WHAT SOUTH MOROCCAN OASIS HAS TO OFFER

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