SCIMABIO Interface acts as a scientific consultant to the Moroccan authorities
Mandated by the international German NGO “GIZ GmbH”, we work closely with the High Commission for Water, Forests and Combating Desertification (HCEFLCD) on the implementation of their action plan, relating to the conservation and rehabilitation of brown trout populations and development of recreational fishing. This plan aims to restore habitats and to promote the conservation and restoration of native trout populations, the proper management of fishing effort, the awareness of fishermen with good practice, and the development of routes for sport fishing tourism.
Our mission is to strengthen the capacity of managers of the High Commissioner for habitat restoration and management of trout populations.
We operate at three levels:
- Theoretical and practical training of on-site managers of the HCEFLCD for the conservation and restoration of trout populations and the rehabilitation of aquatic habitats;
- Writing a technical guide showing the population management approach from diagnostic to the implementation of the actions and their evaluation. This guide will operably detail the techniques and tools available to establish an objective assessment of the environment and trout population, show the strategies for population restoration, the techniques for habitat rehabilitation and the monitoring to be implemented;
- Joint development of a management plan for a pilot river Oued Ahansal.
The watershed of Oued Ahansal is a good test because it has both a naturally functional brown trout population to conserve (upstream) and a development potential for tourism fishing (downstream). The project will thus have to intelligently reconcile the conservation of a local population and the development of an offer for fishing tourism. This is an operational application of the principle of sustainable fisheries management and biodiversity.