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The Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) is an emblematic species of Morocco, classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the red list of endangered species. Determining its potential area under current climatic conditions is an essential step in planning and ensuring its conservation. In this paper, we applied the maximum-entropy algorithm (MaxEnt) to predict the current and potential distribution of the Atlas cedar in order to provide a basis for its conservation. The adjusted model had an excellent predictive quality (AUC = 0.967). The most significant variables influencing the distribution of Atlas cedar, under current climatic conditions, are the precipitation in the driest quarter, precipitation in the driest month, average annual temperature and relative humidity. The model developed made it possible to establish the first map of the suitable potential area of the Atlas cedar in Morocco. The results obtained will guide managers to identify favorable sites for the rehabilitation of the Atlas cedar threatened with extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the last decades, transhumance movements in the province of Ifrane are reduced in favor of a general progress of sedentarisation on high altitude rangelands. This permanent installation induces overexploitation of high-altitude rangelands and forests essentially composed of green oak and the Atlas cedar trees. The aim of this paper is first to quantify the evolution of sedentarisation on high-altitude rangelands through the evolution of construction' numbers, then to highlight the main factors inducing this phenomenon and finally to show the impacts of this progression on forest resources. The methodology adopted is based on data collected through semi-structured interviews; with groups of resource persons from all ethnic communities of the province. The results show an evolution of the sedentarisation of 24 new constructions per year between 2005 and 2015. This evolution took place under the effect of internal factors (demographic growth, cultivation of the low altitude rangelands, etc.) and external factors (installation of Adarouch Ranch and disengagement of the State from its enforcement role). Sedentarization is a threat to the sustainability of forest resources through the continuous exploitation in time and space of these resources, the abandonment of the practice of Agdal on the lawns and the generalization of delimbing and topping of forest trees in times of scarcity (autumn-- winter). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]