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Policy paper: The spectre of fire threatens the forest in Tangier.

Written by Yassmine El Mesbahi - Tangier

The phenomenon of forest fires is today the main cause of imbalance in biodiversity, negatively affecting the components of the animal and plant ecosystem. There is no doubt that the responsibility of man is evident, since it is the cause of many of these fires that threaten public health. It should also be noted that pollutants from fires are one of the most important causes of the increase in mortality of asthmatics and heart disease.

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Forest fire

Morocco, like other countries in the world, is exposed to this danger, as the majority of Moroccan forests are sometimes plagued by fires, contributing to the decline of their area. The rural region occupies the first places: Chéfchouan, Larash, Tangier-Assilah, Fahs-Anjra, Fndiq-Tetouan and Ouazzane are the most affected areas at the national level with 81 fires, which were started on about 1,487 hectares between January 1 and September 26, 2021.

Hence the importance of the subject of this policy paper, in which we will address the fires in the forests of Tangier, which is part of the rural massif, which has the lion's share in terms of area of burned forests, and continues to be threatened by this problem. This paper focuses mainly on the introduction of the issue that occupies us with the evocation of all aspects of its causes, because it is no secret that the factors that are often at the origin of fires, are summarized between what is natural or what is human.

Therefore, this paper deals with the problem of fires that has already become a threat holding the breath of Tangier. This situation is consistent with that experienced in several regions in the world because of global warming. The forest cover has an elementary role in protecting the air quality and reducing the proportion of carbon dioxide. Through this paper also, we would like to emphasize the importance of the efforts made by the State in this regard through the national plan for the protection of forest resources. The awareness of citizens around climate issues also remains an important step in the process of safeguarding forests which also includes: the establishment of an environmental tax, reforestation from the same species, the launch of a special line to report forest hazards, granting regional bodies and regional forestry councils the role of coordination between elected councils and the water and forestry sector, and the encouragement of forestry tourism. 

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