A high-level workshop in Rabat to defend Sustainable Oases at COP28.
The Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mr. Mohammed Sadiki, chaired an international scientific workshop this Tuesday large-scale project in Rabat, marking the start of a crucial initiative for the preservation of oasis ecosystems. This workshop brought together national and international experts, as well as representatives of FAO and UNESCO in Morocco.
Organized jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, the National Agency for the Development of Oasis Zones and Arganier (ANDZOA), FAO and UNESCO, this event is part of the Sustainable Oasis Initiative. The main objective of this initiative is to protect oasis agroecosystems and promote sustainable economic development in these crucial regions.
The workshop aims to gather opinions from high-level experts from various backgrounds on the implementation of the Sustainable Oasis Initiative. Discussions focus on the integration of this initiative into international trends in sustainable management of agroecosystems and adaptation to climate change. In addition, this event aims to develop a scientific argument with a view to pleading in favor of the Sustainable Oasis Initiative at COP28. It also provides for the development of appropriate governance and cooperation mechanisms to achieve the objectives of the initiative.
In his inaugural speech, Minister Sadiki highlighted the crucial importance of oases as unique ecosystems with distinct natural, cultural and urban heritage, as well as specific agricultural products. He called for a comprehensive approach to the development of these areas and coordination of efforts to strengthen their resilience to climate change.
It should be noted that Morocco attaches great importance to the development of oases as part of its Generation Green 2020-2030 strategy. This strategy includes the planting of more than 3 million date palm trees over an area of more than 60,000 hectares, as well as improvements to hydro-agricultural infrastructure and the creation of date storage and packaging units in different oases. In addition, the country plans to expand these plantations to an additional 5 million palm trees and develop traditional oases to make them more resilient to environmental pressures.
As a reminder, the Sustainable Oases Initiative was launched by Morocco during COP22 in Marrakech in November 2016. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of oases as unique and vulnerable elements of our planet, while seeking to preserve their natural heritage, their biodiversity, and to exploit their economic potential from a perspective of sustainable development.
source: https://www.agrimaroc.ma/atelier-scientifique-oasis-durables/
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