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Draa oases are declared as a part of the biosphere reserve of Moroccan oases. These oases are agro-ecosystem dominated by the palm and fed by Draa Wadi, the longest in Morocco. Outside the oasis, the acacia trees and many pre-Saharan herbaceous species expand along the flooded areas and at the edges of temporary waterways. This desert vegetation creates a microclimate that favors the proliferation of a vast invertebrate diversity including Coleopteran species (beetles) that support the soil and flora-fauna ecosystem services. These insects play a very important role in the health of this environment. Indeed, they can perform the functions of ecosystems such as pollination, purification, biological control, and soil fertilization. In this chapter, the authors provide new information and update the list of the Coleopteran species in the Draa Valley. Thirty-one species and 15 families were observed through several entomological trips.

Drought and desertification have a significant impact on socio-ecological systems throughout the world, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. In this context, the impact of desertification and drought was analyzed in the pre-Sahara of Morocco. Additionally, a new conceptual framework combining various variables under the context of drought and desertification impacts was developed. The study area has an arid climate and socio-ecological system-based oases. To achieve the goal of the research, a questionnaire was conceived and distributed to a sample of young people (n = 290 on desertification phenomena and n = 290 on drought). A bibliometric analysis was conducted using VOSViewer software to highlight the structure of research and the Likert technique was used as a statistical method to analyze the results. The findings revealed that the respondents reported that drought has a high impact on desertification and sand silting. Otherwise, mental health is highly at risk and drought affects strongly the revenue, yield, and land use. In terms of solutions, the respondents recorded water safe as the appropriate option to adapt to drought in this area. However, in terms of desertification, interviewees thought that temperature and wind have a very high impact on desertification. Roads are the most impacted by sand silting and desertification followed by irrigation canals, and settlements. Concerning the solutions, tourism has a moderate impact on desertification. Young people thereby are aware of the climatic factors and the psycho-socio-economic impacts. They are also able to identify the appropriate solutions to desertification and drought.

A bibliometric analysis and a short discussion of some solutions to global warming. The current chapter attempts to reassess the origin of global warming and proposes an effective human-scale solution. The bibliometric review reveals an increasing trend of indexed publications from 1936 to 2020. The trend analysis shows research turning towards topics such as performance, life-cycle assessment, electric vehicles, construction, thermal comfort, mechanical properties, and quality. With regard to the origin of global warming, doubt is cast on the view that increased heat in the atmosphere is chiefly caused by increased carbon. From the point of view of chemistry and physics, CO2 is not a cause of heat, but a result of what creates heat (combustion). Moreover, the low-carbon strategies suggested to control the increase of heat seem slow, difficult to measure and control, and so far, ineffective. In industry, it is axiomatic that good technologies have measurable results, and always work in the same way if conditions are as foreseen.

Worldwide, the arid lands occupy one of the largest areas on Earth, covering more than 30% of the total area. In these lands, scarcity of resources has emerged as a consequence of climate change (CC) and anthropogenic pressure. The reduced resources require sustainable management, including the use of efficient methods and techniques to adapt to CC. The purpose of this chapter is to present a collection of affordable techniques and practices to optimize farming productivity in the context of CC. This chapter also presents the strengths and weaknesses and highlights the replication of these methods where water supply and food security are far from being achieved. Each technic must be studied and adapted with caution in context of the defined arid area, taking into account the local socio-economic and ecological characteristics. The proposed techniques may be used in governmental planning to support the adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is well known for diverse applications in many fields including agriculture. The use of AI in the agricultural field has allowed for optimization in real-time and with less cost and effort. This chapter presents a bibliometric analysis of the future of AI in agriculture. This analysis was carried out using the online Scopus tool and VOSviewer software. The outputs show an increasing trend of documents from 1979 to 2021 and 2020 is the most productive year in terms of quantity. Computer science, engineering, Agricultural and Biological sciences, and environmental science are the main subjects while the United States, China, and India are the most influential in the field. United States, China, and India are the most influential in the field, while article and conference papers are the top two doctypes. For the trend, research in this field is turning toward machine learning, the Internet of things, deep learning, agricultural robots, learning algorithms, big data, data analysis, image processing, support vector machines, and automation.

Climate change (CC) is a significant concern for many climate-sensitive socio-economic sectors, such as agriculture and food production. The current study aimed at analyzing the current vulnerability of the Moroccan agricultural sector to CC and anthropogenic impact and identifying the relevant vulnerability factors in the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region. In this regard, a multidisciplinary approach was used to assess the vulnerability. To do this, an index based on five components was designed, including climate, plant production, animal production, geography, and anthropogenic aspects. The numerical model has benefited from data retrieved from three recognized indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), and from the reported data of the agricultural, environmental, and socio-economic governmental departments. The results showed that there was a significant vulnerability of all the five components to CC. Particularly, the province of Azilal was the most vulnerable, followed by Khénifra, Fquih Ben Salah, and Beni Mellal, while Khouribga was the least vulnerable. These components might help to determine the mechanisms and priority sectors, the most vulnerable to CC and anthropogenic effects, to take urgent measures. These may guide decision makers to carry out effective actions, namely, the amounts to be spent to mitigate this vulnerability. It will also make it possible to know where, when, and how the adaptation should take place.

Some epidemiological and ecological aspects of Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) in Ouarzazate province, southern Morocco, were explored with the objective of analyzing ZCL distribution and associated ecological factors. Information on cutaneous leishmaniasis patients attending the local health centers of Ouarzazate during the period 2002–2009 was gathered and compiled. Urban, peri-urban, rural origin, precipitation, wind speed, temperature, water irrigation, dam volume, and altitude were studied. The findings show that the disease affected 5405 person during this period; the major part was found in the municipalities near both oases (desert oasis) and water resources, with a high concentration of cases in the peri-urban area. The highest percentage of cases was recorded mainly in September. Considerable associations were found between relative humidity and wind speed with ZCL occurrence. A large number of cases were recorded in areas with altitude ranging from 800 to 2000 m.a.s.l. and spatial precipitation from 15 to 150 mm. The statistical analysis showed a strong association between water storage volume and water irrigation with the annual ZCL occurrence recorded in the downstream area (Zagora province). The results will lead us to understand ZCL risk areas for effective control. Further work is needed mainly for gathering these variables in one single and simplest model.

Isothermal amplification of nucleic acids has the potential to be applied in resource-limited areas for the detection of infectious agents, as it does not require complex nucleic purification steps or specific and expensive equipment and reagents to perform the reaction and read the result. Since human and animal infections by pathogens of the Tryponasomatidae family occur mainly in resource-limited areas with scant health infrastructures and personnel, detecting infections by these methodologies would hold great promise. Here, we conduct a narrative review of the literature on the application of isothermal nucleic acid amplification for Trypanosoma and Leishmania infections, which are a scourge for human health and food security. We highlight gaps and propose ways to improve them to translate these powerful technologies into real-world field applications for neglected human and animal diseases caused by Trypanosomatidae.

The activity of Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli, a vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis, is known to be seasonal, but the information describing these patterns is sparse in time and space. The purpose of his paper is to conduct a meta-analysis to depict the seasonality of P. papatasi at the global scale. The current paper uses data from a collection of 1200 scientific papers, where 300 are about the vector and 36 include monthly data (of 61 sites) of the P. papatasi from 15 countries published from 1994 to 2017. The activity peaked mainly in dry periods in all explored sites. A map of seasonal distribution depicted a peak activity in August, followed by September. Geographically (geographic preference), August and September at the latitude 33° showed the highest abundance at a global scale. Concerning the latitude P. papatasi distribution, the high number is localized between 27° and 35°. However, the high number of this species according to the longitude is localized between − 4° and 58°, which shows a high interval of activity. Locally, for the habitat preference, the findings show a preference of this vector to indoor than to outdoor. All these results can be helpful in identifying the period and sites of a future potential risk of leishmaniasis. This is the first attempt at the update of the vector activity both at global and local scale.

Water is the main ecosystem service that supports the oasis system. Middle Draa Valley is an oasis zone located in the south of Morocco. The water availability in this area is the key element of vegetation cover change. This change added to other factors can cause some parasitic diseases. The zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of these diseases. In this chapter, an analysis of the interaction between some key risk factors and the disease transmission was carried out. The outputs of this work rivaled that there is a very strong correlation between this disease and ecosystem services such as water stored and the dam outflow (directed to the oasis for the irrigation), and the groundwater availability. Regarding the correlation between this vector-borne disease and the cropping area, a strong correlation was recorded. However, for the relationship between leishmaniasis and the precipitation and the dam inflow, average correlations were found. Basically, in MDV, the water availability is the first element that affects an ensemble of processes that cause the disease infection.

Rodents play a significant role in the balance of a terrestrial ecosystem; they are considered prey for many predators like owls and snakes. However, they present a high risk to agriculture (damaging crops) and health. These rodents are the main reservoirs of some vector-borne diseases like leishmaniasis.

The argan tree is exclusively endemic in the drylands of Southwest Morocco, an agroecosystem of great ecological, cultural, and economic importance. The argan agroecosystem is already damaged. It is particularly vulnerable to climate change as well as the harsh natural conditions aggravated by the current population growth and the exploitation in excess of the production capacities. Unfortunately, during the 20th century, its area has been reduced by half. Current projections indicate an increase in temperature under climate scenarios. Anticipated climate change could accelerate this trend resulting in the argan tree degradation. To assess the climate change impact, the authors used the SDSM model at the argan agroecosystem scale and the thermal stress model to assess its vulnerability and estimate its tolerance response in relation to temperature stress for a projected climate in the near term (2010-2025 years). In this chapter, the authors explored the impact of climate change on the argan tree regeneration.

The floods are among the most dangerous extreme events. They have affected a large part of the world population. Studies on this topic are needed to understand the phenomenon and prevent the damages. In this context, a new composite indicator was proposed and applied in the Moroccan High Atlas, which is the largest mountain in the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries and one of the most affected. Both the altitude that exceeds 4000 m and the annual rainfall of over 400 mm accelerate the severity of the floods. Climate change and anthropogenic actions have increased the vulnerability to flooding. The variables used in measuring the vulnerability to floods are numerous and interact in a very complex way. Five components (anthropogenic, physical, climatic, lithologic, and land use) and 29 indicators have been selected. The analysis of vulnerability allows identifying the zones and the components with a high degree of vulnerability to floods and proposes the options to reduce it in five selected valleys of the High Atlas; Ourica, De R’dat, Rheraya, Oued N’Fis, and Zat Valleys. The findings suggest that Oued N’Fis may be more vulnerable in terms of climatic indicators while Ourica valley may be vulnerable in terms of the physical, anthropogenic, and lithologic components. However, R’dat valley showed a high vulnerability score regarding the land-use indicators. The total score of flood vulnerability indicates that Ourica is the most vulnerable followed, respectively, by R’dat and Oued N’Fis.

Moroccan Pre-Saharan zone is an oasis system, which it is characterized by extreme events, like drought and flood. The flood risks will likely increase in frequency and magnitude due to glo...

The chapter highlights the importance of the concept of “ecological sanitation” (Ecosan) in environmental education. It also describes the implementation and management of the “Ecosan” project in several primary and middle schools and explores the lessons learned from reusing organic waste to promote sustainability in arid communities in the southeastern region of Morocco. The project planned and built Ecosan systems that recycle human wastes in five schools from five oasis villages of the Draa-Tafilalt region. The results suggest that the Ecosan system may be a sustainable option to support water, soil, and biodiversity in the vulnerable arid areas, but the scale-up of the project and adoption by the local communities will require more work and coordination with the government and local stakeholders.

The cultivation of watermelons has been a fast growing agriculture industry in the arid, desert regions of Morocco, relying on groundwater pumping and transformation of rangelands to farms due to growing demand for the fruit in national and international markets. This study aims to measure the impact of watermelon expansion on groundwater resources in the Feija Basin, which is one of the largest watermelon cultivation areas in Southern Morocco. Field measurements, statistics, Kriging interpolation, and regression methods were used to measure the temporal variations in the groundwater level (GL) and salinity between 2013 and 2018 to determine the correlation between different parameters. Remote sensing data was also used to monitor the watermelon cultivation expansion. Results show a rapid expansion of agricultural areas from just 185.11 ha in 2007 to 2560.1 ha in 2018. The groundwater level declined rapidly by about 10 m below ground level during the 5 years of the study period. Additionally, the decline was accompanied by a significant increase in electrical conductivity (salinity) values over the same time interval from 1077.55 to 1211.9 µS/cm. As a consequence of the continuous overexploitation and unsustainable management, a lot of wells have run dry and there have been drinking water shortages in the city of Zagora, the closest city nearby. Results can help target efforts to improve the implementation of conservation strategies to ensure the sustainability of water use and food production in this region of Morocco.

South east of Morocco is one of the biggest cutaneous leishmaniasis disease foci. Despite its non-lethality, this disease causes several socioeconomic and psychological impacts. This disease has lots of risk factors. Some of these are related to the environmental change, and others are linked to the demographic and socio-economical system. The interactions between these risk factors create the need for a multidisciplinary approach to estimate the vulnerability risk to the cutaneous leishmaniasis. In this context, a new index was proposed and six provinces were selected, which are Zagora, Ouarzazate, Tinghir, Errachidia, Figuig, and Tata. The findings depict that in term of anthropogenic vulnerability, Tinghir is the most vulnerable to leishmaniasis followed by Errachidia and Ouarzazate. Geographically, Errachidia has the very high vulnerability score and Figuig have the high vulnerability. The results show also an important risk to leishmaniasis in all provinces regarding the socio-economical component, except for Tata. Regarding services category, Zagora is the most vulnerable. However, for the hygiene, Figuig, Ouarzazate, and Errachidia present the high scores of vulnerability, then the rest provinces. The total score of cutaneous leishmaniasis vulnerability of the selected provinces indicates that Tinghir is the most vulnerable regarding this disease followed respectively by Errachidia, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Figuig, and Tata.

The Ziz Watershed is located in the arid zones of South-Eastern Morocco and belongs to the large basin of Ziz-Rheris. In this basin, floods are related to natural factors and mainly to the occupation of the hydraulic public domain and the human intervention on the courses of the rivers. Increases in sediment yield are observed in many places in the Ziz, dramatically affecting water quality and reservoir management. In order to map overland sediment generation and delivery to the stream (studying the service of sediment retention), the InVEST sediment delivery ratio (SDR) model was applied. The sedimentation analysis in the Hassan Dakhil Dam, located in this watershed, shows that there is a very important erosion rate. The proof is the rapid filling of the dam. This is due to the transport of sediments in the rivers. If this situation continues at the current rate, the dam will no longer be fully operational for irrigation by 2050.

Ecosystem management requires biophysical and socio-economic measurement. The intervention of the government and the local community in order to combat the degradation of ecosystems must take into account the effects of the environmental hazards. This can reinforce the inhabitants' ability to adapt at local level. The impact on ecosystem and resources are numerous and complex. Consequently, a multidisciplinary evaluation is needed. In this context, a new approach was proposed, called environmental hazards assessment at local scale. It was used to evaluate the risk of several oasis resources to multiple hazards in the Middle Draa Valley. The findings show that for all resources, desertification is the biggest challenge affecting this area followed by drought, sandstorms, and then floods. This risk assessment approach can provide guidance for future assessments.

Floods are highly relevant extreme events with increasing frequency at a global scale. They remain among the most dangerous and complex natural disasters in middle and low-income countries. In this context, it is necessary to develop decision-support tools to reduce the flood risk and increase the resilience. The chapter reviews one of the most relevant tools, the flood vulnerability index (FVI) category at a global scale. These tools use hydrological, topographic, socio-economic parameters strongly associated with flood vulnerability. The findings indicate that FVI is a flexible tool for integrated assessment of vulnerability to floods for application in different regions. Social, environmental, and physical components are the main components used in the FVI. Household and neighborhood, basin, urban, sub-catchment, and coastal are the different levels of vulnerability analysis.

The current chapter deals with one of the most neglected tropical diseases in Morocco, the cutaneous leishmaniasis. It is based on 10-year research (2010-2017) on the evolution of leishmaniasis taking climate change into account. Epidemiological and climatological data were collected from different administrations. The Geographic Information System (GIS) is chosen for interpolation, space-time analysis of climate data and map creation. The SPSS software was used for statistical analysis and to establish the relationship between Leishmaniasis and climatic conditions. Results show that the maximum number of cases is recorded in 2010 with 4,407 people affected while the low number is recorded in 2014 with 18 cases. Results also show a clear link between climatic factors and the incidence of the disease. The distribution of the disease in the province is influenced by maximum temperature, aridity, and vegetation cover. Additionally, anthropogenic factors play a significant role in explaining the emergence or re-emergence of leishmaniasis in the region.

In 2009, the Moroccan Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization confirmed that the transmission of schistosomiasis had ceased in all previously endemic provinces of Morocco. This achievement couldn't have been achieved without the effective participation and engagement of local communities. In this chapter, studies of community participation strategies for schistosomiasis control in Akka oasis were reviewed. Southern Morocco was known to be a foci site for urinary schistosomiasis since 1937. Combined efforts between health officials and local community participation have achieved the elimination of this neglected tropical disease, where the last cases in these foci were recorded in the early 2000s. The results of this chapter can be used to increase awareness of the need for community participation in controlling neglected tropical diseases such as schistosomiasis.

The Ourika watershed is characterized by higher than average flood flows, a rugged topography, a sparse vegetation cover and a friable substrate that makes it vulnerable to soil erosion. Soil is an important non-renewable asset capital, providing several ecosystem services that sustain life through physical and biological regulation processes. The loss, or otherwise, redistribution of biota by soil erosion in the Ourika watershed has received little attention and thus constitutes a key knowledge gap that needs to be addressed. This study quantifies the level of erosion and maps its spatial distribution in the watershed using the Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs model (InVEST 3.6.0). The SDR maps the overland sediment generation and delivery to the stream at the watershed level using rainfall, soil properties, topography, cover management and cropping practices as predefined set of input variables. Recommended internal model calibration was used and results were compared to similar studies carried out in different parts of Morocco for validation. The results reveal that 93% of the watershed is subject to a strong rainfall aggressiveness greater than 50 MJ mm ha–1 h–1 yr–1 under an average rainfall intensity of 541 mm/year, rainfall capacity to initiate the detachment and transport of soil particles by runoff, and only 11.5 % of the watershed area is protected with vegetative cover. We find that overall, the Ourika watershed is losing its soil to erosion at an alarming average rate of 258.48 ton.ha–1.yr–1, a rate well above the tolerable threshold of 7 ton.ha–1.yr–1. The spatial distribution of this loss shows areas that need to be urgently remedied. The primary factors for soil erosion in the Ourika watershed appear to be related to the aggressive nature of local rainfall and the inherent susceptibility of soils, which can be costly to this cash-crop region. Because rainfall intensity, soil properties, and topography are intrinsic characteristics of the watershed, we suggest that seasonally adapted cropping rotations that maintains conservative practices with a high cover management may reduce soil erosion in the Ourika watershed.

This chapter presents an analysis of the seasonal activity of the Phlebotomus papatasi (leishmaniasis vector) through a correlation between its monthly activity and the monthly meteorological parameters. Three sites from three leishmaniasis endemic countries were used Morocco, Iran, and Greece. The high density of P. papatasi was observed in May in Greece, in July in Morocco and September in Iran. Before May and after September, an important decrease of P. papatasi activity was observed with a decline of maximum and minimum temperatures and an increase of precipitations. Secondly, strong associations between P. papatasi density and minimum and maximum temperatures were explored, third, no significant association have been detected between P. papatasi abundance and precipitations in the three sites. There is an average correlation between relative humidity and P. papatasi density for Isfahan and Creater Athens. Basically, P. papatasi is sensitive to low temperatures and high relative humidity, which makes these two variables better indicators for the possible emergence of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

The incidence of emergence diseases including vector borne diseases, water diseases, and some physiologic impairment is considered sensitive to climate. Malaria, leishmaniasis, dengue, and viral encephalitis are among those diseases most influenced by climate. Variation in the incidence of vector borne diseases is associated with extreme weather events and annual changes in weather conditions. Africa in general and Morocco in particular are designated as an area of significant impact by numerous the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and notably susceptible to such drastic climate-related health consequences. Climatic parameter change would directly affect disease transmission by acting on the vector's geographic range, activity, or reproduction and by reduction the period of pathogen incubation. This chapter will discuss the increasing risk of some vector-borne diseases in hazard-prone localities. It further identifies the severe challenges both of health adaptation to climate change by highlighting Moroccan adaptive capacity to such crises.