Evaluation of the contribution of forest rangelands in the forage balance in the western part of the Central Middle Atlas
Abstract
Range management in Morocco is based on traditional practices where the land is used by a community for grazing by sheep. In the Atlas Mountains rangelands and forest lands are extensively used by grazing animals and even if the vegetation is abundant the cover is ongoing degradation especially in summer. The forest as a rich ecosystem where the plant community is constituted by Quercus and Cedrus sp. where overgrazing has an negative impact on the vegetation inducing degradation. The bred of sheep is Timahdit a bred which is adapted to the high mountain cold of the winter. The range is overgrazed by sheep and undergoes profound mutation with major degradation due to higher pressure by the increasing number of animals of the community which have the right to use the herbaceous cover. This study have the objective to determine the contribution of the range to meet the needs of the animals in the occidental region of the atlas mountains and determine the difference between the potential of the range and the need of the grazing sheep. The results showed that the herbaceous cover is overused by high numbers of animals. So a more rational use of the range is necessary to stop the degradation and sustain the production potential of the forest. The participatory method which includes the population in the decision making will allow better use of the range and sustain the resources and the forest by stopping degradation and a rational use of the range.
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Introduction
Livestock breeding represents a significant share of Morocco'sagricultural GDP (26 to 32% depending on the year) and 20% of agricultural employment. It generates significant income for the rural population. Furthermore, it is the best way to enhance pastoral areas. It contributes to the income of more than 80% of the rural population [1]. Rangeland is the primary source of animal feed in Morocco. They contribute on average 36% [2] of annual forage production, or about 3.4 billion forage units (FU). Extensive livestock breeding is the most used type in Morocco, which takes place on collective rangelands or in forest lands. Forest areas contribute to 17% of the national fodder balance [3], support 10 million head of cattle grazing there, and 45% of the national herd [4]. These sylvopastoral ecosystems remain subject to multiple technical, climatic, pastoral and social obstacles. These constraints weigh heavily on the management of this pastoral area and most often hamper the development processes undertaken there. Generally, pastoral ecosystems are very diverse and their level of production does not reflect the real potential of the environment. This situation can be explained by an overexploitation of the sylvopastoral resources: overgrazing, ecimage and delimbing of the tree and arborescent stratum during periods of drought. These repeated practices lead to the opening up or even gradual disappearance of these multiple-use formations, to the threat of soil erosion and consequently to the regeneration and sustainability of sylvopastoral resources, on which the survival of most user populations depends, is compromised. The pastoral mountains of the Middle Atlas constitute a region privileged by the existence of abundant sources and by a favorable tiering of climatic conditions. Extensive livestock breeding in this region is based on Timahdit sheep. The pastoralists of the region who, through a type of life and adapted habitats, use alternately the resources of the mountain in summer, the green oak groves of the Dir in spring, and the pastoral space offered by the Azarhar in winter: seasonal exploitation of these areas between which transhumance is played out, and within each of these areas use the different collective or private complementary paths of the forest. However, the scale of population growth in these areas, the sedentarization of pastoralists, the growth of the market economy and the recurrence of droughts, the ways and practices of using rangelands have undergone profound changes which induce major imbalances between pastoral supply and demand. Overgrazing is considered the main cause of rangeland degradation. It is a direct consequence of an increase in herd numbers, as rangelands are their main source of nutrition. It is in this context that our study takes part. Indeed, the objective of this article is to estimate the forest potential in forage units and evaluate the impact of rangelands in terms of overgrazing in the study area.
Conclusion
The forest rangelands in the study area contribute only 7.43% of the forage requirements of the grazing livestock in this area. Thus, the degradation aspects resulting from overgrazing in the communes studied can be observed at several levels: The forage possibilities of the forest of Sidi M'guild, Azrou and Jbel Aoua South remain below the forage needs of the livestock in the area, resulting in remarkable overgrazing leading to degradation of the undergrowth and preventing any possibility of natural regeneration; In times of famine, in addition to the failure to respect the defended lands, the shepherds attack the trees by pollarding and delimbing, to draw additional forage units from the herds. This phenomenon largely contributes to injuries and is considered an aggravating factor in the decline and physiological weakening of trees.
The examination of this situation leads us to reflect on the possibility of pastoral improvement based on local species in order to be able to meet the needs of grazing livestock in the forest following the recommendations of the national sylvopasoralism strategy initiated by HCEFLCD in 2016, on the one hand, and to limit the pastoral load, to reserve sufficient pasture for the users' herds, on the other hand.
Consequently, an organization of the user population of these forests is essential for a sustainable use of pastoral resources, through the practice of participatory silvicultural practices (depressing by the population) allow these populations to benefit from the forage units that are necessary for their herd. As well as socio-economic development in the area which will alleviate pastoral pressure on natural resources, in particular through income-generating projects that will make it possible to move from a path of more productive and not dependent on forest areas.
