A Cooperation Framework Agreement was signed by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) and the Moroccan High Commissariat for Water, Forest and Combating Desertification (HCEFLCD) on May 7th, in Rabat. Through this agreement, the two parties aim to strengthen their relations regarding the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and the protection of nature.

The two institutions agreed to reinforce the national network of terrestrial, marine and coastal protected areas, and to work on identifying and supporting the conservation of key biodiversity areas in Morocco. Likewise, the promotion of ecosystemic services as a source of revenue and alternative means of subsistence, as well as the use of traditional and local knowledge for the sustainable management of natural ecosystems, are two fields of joint actions.

The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation will provide its support to the implementation of international conventions in Morocco, particularly the ones related to the Aichi targets, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Barcelona Convention and its Protocol on Integrated coastal zone management and the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The memorandum will last four years. IUCN-Med and the HCEFLECD will work together in the coming months to back up this agreement with concrete proposals.

The signature of this agreement coincided with the celebration of the agreement signed by Rupert Joy, UE ambassador in Morocco, Abdeladim Lhafi, High Commissioner for Water and Forest, and Nizar Baraka, Minister of Economy and Finance, for a European Union program to support Morocco´s forestry policies through a 400-million-dirham donation.