Climate Change Threatens Ancient Moroccan Oasis of Skoura, Home to 20,000

Covering an area of 25 square kilometers, the Skoura oasis was founded in the 12th century and constitutes a favorable space for the cultivation of several products, recalled an ecological association, specifying that for some time now, it has been suffering the effects of climate change.

Concerned about the situation, Mustapha Laissate, president of the association, explained that: "today, we are seeing the great impact of climate change on the Skoura oasis, because the scarcity of water has led to a shrinking of the wooded area in the region. We are seeing a decrease in palm trees, olive trees, henna cultivation, as well as many products related to the region’s economy."

His words were confirmed by Mustapha Mafhoume, a farmer for more than 50 years in the region. He stressed the progressive lack of water, leading to difficult working conditions.

"In the past, the water source was the Khattara system (which is a traditional irrigation system with underground pipes), but now the farmers are forced to dig wells and this has caused problems between them. Water is necessary for us, but we don’t have enough. For this field, I made a great effort to achieve this result. I have tried several times to dig wells to find water. All this is to stay here. We cannot go elsewhere," he said.