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Rabat – Morocco’s prized cedar trees are being depleted. The Cedrus atlantica covers a large area of the Middle Atlas in North Africa. However, the 134,000 hectares of forest is not thriving like it used to.
The wood and sawdust from the Moroccan cedar tree is highly valued. Loggers are illegally cutting down ancient trees and selling the wood on the black market. Cedar wood is used to make cabinets and oils.
In addition to human predators, the Moroccan cedar also has natural predators, which are becoming increasingly threatening. Monkeys that live in the forests are changing their eating habits due to climatic changes. They normally eat plants and insects but recently they’ve been eating the bark and branches on the trees for calcium, which damages the trees.
Droughts are also affecting the cedar’s ability to survive. Water shortages are causing deforestation. The community that lives around this forest are making efforts to decrease the damage to the trees, but life in this area is difficult.
Morocco is attempting to give its cedar tree the “endangered species” label in order to protect it. For now, cattle grazing is being limited to minimize damage to the forest and forests are being patrolled for illegal loggers.
Overall, rise in temperature, droughts, and flooding are the true threats to the cedar tree population.
Photo credit: AFP Photo/Fadel Senna
