HIBAPRESS
The president of the Casablanca-Settat region, Abdelatif Maazouz, highlighted during a meeting dedicated to the resilience of coastal areas to climate change, held on the sidelines of the COP 30 Belem (Amazon) conference, the measures in which Morocco has engaged in order to preserve and enhance its coastline, while at the same time protecting it from the increasing threats associated with climate disturbance.
Maazouz recalled that Morocco has a coastline that extends over 3,500 kilometers, spanning its Mediterranean and Atlantic facades, and covering an economic area exceeding 1.2 million square kilometers.
In contrast, he pointed to the multiple pressures facing this strip, namely: the escalating erosion due to rising sea levels and sand extraction operations, marine submersion resulting from high tides and extreme climatic phenomena, uncontrolled construction, paving the coast, and pollution associated with waste and debris dumped into the sea.
Recognizing the richness and fragility of this space at the same time, Morocco has gradually put in place a coherent and integrated policy based on the national strategy for the integrated management of coastal areas, the national coastal plan, which identifies priority areas to be preserved, infrastructure, tourism, aquaculture and respect for international standards stipulated in the Barcelona Protocol, the “Plastic-Free Coast” plan, and mechanisms dedicated to combating pollution.
This also concerns the rational management of the marine system, especially through the submersion of artificial reefs, marine spatial planning based on the mapping of uses and the national strategy for wetlands, and on the identification of marine protected areas to achieve the goal of protecting 10 percent of the marine area by 2030, and the “Halieutis” strategy, then Law No. 12-81 regarding the coast, which enhances the protection of public maritime property, especially by imposing a non-buildable zone with a width of 100 meters and a buffer zone with a width of 2 kilometers for coastal roads.
Maazouz stressed that this strategic edifice falls within the framework of the lofty royal directives, as stated in the King’s recent speech in Parliament, calling for "the optimal activation of the sustainable development levers of the national coast."
He highlighted that the goal is to transform the ocean into an engine for sustainable and inclusive growth, by consolidating the responsible management of fish resources, developing renewable marine energies, promoting responsible coastal tourism, and creating green and blue jobs, especially for the benefit of young people and women in coastal areas.
The president of the region also pointed out that the Casablanca-Settat and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima regions have adopted their regional coastal plans, which represents a decisive step towards decentralized and integrated management.
The two regions also benefit from the momentum carried by the "Clean Beaches" program of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, as well as from the international momentum of the Nice Declaration on rising ocean levels, in which Morocco strongly contributed.
Maazouz specifically affirmed that the Casablanca-Settat region, which has 235 km of coast of great economic, urban and tourist importance, is one of the most territorial areas exposed to climate risks, but it is also one of the most committed to implementing tangible solutions.
About 200 beaches in the region are being monitored within the national program for monitoring bathing waters, 32 of which have been classified as "clean", and three of them raise the "Blue Flag", which are Ain Diab, Bouznika and Sidi Rahal beaches. In addition to regional development plans that aim to enhance coastal resilience and improve the attractiveness of the waterfront.
Maazouz confirmed that the large-scale program to rehabilitate and develop the regional coast seeks to reconcile economic development and tourist attractiveness and improve the living environment for residents and visitors alike.
Maazouz concluded his speech by calling for strengthening international cooperation and supporting resilience programs and accelerating the implementation of national strategies, reiterating the determination of the Casablanca-Settat region to sustainably protect its coast and anticipate the effects of climate change.
