By Salifu Faridat
In a heart-wrenching development, recently Morocco’s Civil Protection, along with the Royal Gendarmerie and a team of dedicated volunteers, have valiantly battled two relentless forest fires that have left a staggering 780 hectares of lush forestland in ruins in Maghraoua, situated in the northern region of Fès-Meknès.
Worsened by winds gusting at up to 40 kilometers per hour, the firefighting efforts faced an uphill struggle. “The fire has been contained and is now 75% under control,” shared Morad Safadi, the Provincial Director of Morocco’s Agence Nationale des Eaux et Forêts (ANEF) in Taza.
According to Safadi, the devastating fire has already ravaged a vast 780-hectare area within Maghraoua.
After a prolonged battle, the flames were eventually subdued through the unyielding efforts of local residents and determined rescue workers, aided by three water-bombing aircraft. While no human lives were lost, grave concerns linger about the preservation of the region’s rich biodiversity.
These tragic incidents, often attributed to arson, are exacerbated by the looming threat of global warming, elevating the risk of certain plant species teetering on the edge of extinction.
In the midst of the distressing aftermath, Moroccan authorities are deeply concerned about the potential displacement or loss of wildlife as their habitats and sources of sustenance are obliterated by the unrelenting inferno.
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This heart-wrenching scene echoes the tragic fate of approximately twenty Barbary macaques, also known as gossamer monkeys, who perished in August 2022 due to a fire that consumed 8,000 hectares of the 30,000-hectare Bouchachem nature reserve in northern Morocco.
Regrettably, this dire situation extends beyond Morocco’s borders. Neighboring Algeria has endured its own environmental tragedies, with a staggering 44,000 hectares of forest consumed by fires in 2021 alone.
In an urgent response to this crisis, the country has launched an ambitious initiative to plant 1,000 trees in the first half of 2022, particularly within the Kabylie forest region.
Tragically, this region recently witnessed the solemn burial of 34 individuals who succumbed to the merciless flames.
The reverberations of these rampant forest fires extend across international boundaries, posing significant threats to food security in numerous nations.
A striking case in point is Australia, where unprecedented heat has spawned fires that have ravaged pastures, decimated livestock, and reduced vineyards to ashes.
The arduous journey of recovery and restoration is bound to further strain water resources already burdened by persistent drought.
Beyond Australia, Canada and Spain are also grappling with their own catastrophic bushfires during this summer season.
