Morocco’s Storks Face Habitat Challenges as Kénitra Expands

Morocco attaches importance to a bird in its ecosystem. This is the stork whose habits are changing due to drought, industrialization and urbanization.

Indeed, the dams built since the 1950s are drying up the wetlands near Kénitra. As a result, the stork has taken refuge in recent years on the garbage mountains bordering the river in the Gharb region, according to Libération. This situation affects the health of the bird.

To reverse the trend, the Oxygen for the Environment and Health Association, founded by Ayoub Krir, raises awareness among the inhabitants of Kénitra about the preservation of birds and more broadly of biodiversity. The stork is "a treasure of Kénitra", a "cultural monument to be valued", said the young student.

In addition, Kénitra will host, in the course of 2020, the fifth edition of the International Bird Festival, initiated by the Vice-President of Grepom-Birdlife, a staunch defender of endangered species in the region.