Rabat – The wildfires ravaging Morocco’s northern regions are believed to be the result of human actions which were exacerbated by climate change, environmental expert Said Chakri said.
Causes for wildfires can be divided into two categories, Chakri noted. While natural causes amount to less than 5% of the total fires, human error is believed to lead to the majority of fires.
Human error can include anything from throwing cigarette butts, to lighting fires in the forest for camping or cooking, to mass burning of forest areas for agricultural exploitation.
Chakri explained that late rains that fell on the affected region in March and April could have led to the growth of grass in the region. After high temperatures caused the grass to dry up, it became very vulnerable to any small spark.
Strong winds and the outbreak of several fires around the same time only made the fires more difficult to fight, he added.
As climate change has continued to wreak havoc in today’s world, Chakri believes that paying attention to human actions and trying to mitigate risk will be key in preventing similar fires going forward.
“The worst consequence of wildfires is the destruction of the forest cover which takes decades or even centuries to fully recover,” he added. “Citizens have to contribute to the preservation of this wealth, no matter their position or responsibility.”
Wildfires this year have damaged several thousand hectares of forest in Northern Morocco, killing one person and displacing thousands.
Although Morocco’s National Agency of Water and Forests (ANEF) said firefighters were able to contain three of the fires, they are still struggling to control some of them due to strong winds, the difficulty of the terrain, and the scarcity of water sources nearby.
Morocco’s government is now being called upon to implement a plan to combat wildfires in the future, as climate change continues to worsen with each year.
