Labiatae checklist for Andalusia (Southern Spain) and Rif (Northern Morocco)

. Labiatae checklist for Andalusia (Southern Spain) and the Rif (Northern Morocco). The taxa of Labiatae from Andalusia (Southern Iberian Peninsula) and the Rif (Northern Morocco) are included in a checklist, which has about 262 taxa, belonging to 28 genera and 5 subfamilies, representing almost 25% of total Mediterranean Labiatae taxa and c. 70% of total strict Labiatae Mediterranean genera. Nepetoideae with 17 genera is the richest subfamily; Ajugoideae (Ajuga genus), Teucrioideae (Teucrium genus) and Scutellarioideae (Scutellaria genus) are monogenerics. In this biogeographical region, 23 genera and about 70 species are common to both Andalusia and the Rif (about 88% of all genera and 30% of all taxa). Teucrium, Sideritis Satureja and allied genera, Salvia and Mentha, are the most widespread, representing almost 50% of the total taxa. The importance of the Labiatae family in the Andalusia and the Rif regions is reflected by the fact that they make up c. 20% of all taxa, while 25 of the total number of genera are distributed in the Betic-Rif Mountains. In addition, these mountains, are themselves the richest and best endowed regions of the Andalusia and the Rif, with the greatest concentration of endemic species (c. 65% of total endemisms)

Seismic source in the Iberian-African plate boundary

The plate boundary between Iberia and Africa has been studied using data on seismicity and focal mechanisms. The region has been divided into three areas: A; the Gulf of Cadiz; B, the Betics, Alboran Sea and northern Morocco; and C, Algeria. Seismicity shows a complex behavior, large shallow earthquakes (h < 30 km) occur in areas A and C and moderate shocks in area B; intermediate-depth activity (30 < h < 150 km) is located in the depth earthquakes (h » 650 km) are located to the south of Granada. Moment rate, slip velocity and b values have been estimated for shallow shocks, and show similar characteristics for the Gulf of Cadiz and Algeria, and quite different ones for the central region. Focal mechanisms of 80 selected shallow earthquakes (8 ‡ mb ‡ 4) show thrust faulting in the Gulf of Cadiz and Algeria with horizontal NNW-SSE compression, and normal faulting in the Alboran Sea with E-W extension. Focal mechanisms of 26 intermediate-depth earthquakes in the Alboran Sea display vertical motions, with a predominant plane trending E-W. Solutions for very deep shocks correspond to vertical dip-slip along N-S trends. Frohlich diagrams and seismic moment tensors show different behavior in the Gulf of Cadiz, Betic-Alboran Sea and northern Morocco, and northern Algeria for shallow events. The stress pattern of intermediate-depth and very deep earthquakes has different directions: vertical extension in the NW-SE direction for intermediate depth earthquakes, and tension and pressure axes dipping about 45 ° for very deep earthquakes. Regional stress pattern may result from the collision between the African plate and Iberia, with extension and subduction of lithospheric material in the Alboran Sea at intermediate depth. The very deep seismicity may be correlated with older subduction processes

Species distribution models as a useful tool in conservation programs: the case of the Northern Bald Ibis

The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) is one of the most endangered species on the planet. Over the last century, the species had suffered an extreme decline in its population size, and is now considered to be critically endangered. Nowadays, the original distribution range of the species is restricted to the Agadir region in Morocco. In Europe the species is only present in Spain and Austria, and this is due to two different conservation projects with introduced animals born and raised in captivity. The aim of this project is to characterize those past and present areas used by the Northern Bald Ibis in their natural distribution in Morocco, identifying the most favorable areas for the assessment of the species in Morocco and also for making it possible to reintroduce this species to Europe. We used species distribution models with a presence/absence database obtained from bibliography and a set of environmental variables. Spatial variables were combined obtaining a trend surface variable, which is a purely spatial descriptor of the cohesion trend in the distribution of the species regarding its history and population dynamics. Another model was built using only environmental variables to identify those areas which are favorable for the species in relation to the environment, without the effects of the population's cohesion trend. Obtained models classified the areas into 'favorable', 'unfavorable' or 'uncertain'. In the case of Andalusia, introduced individuals have moved to favorable places in the North of Morocco, where the species was not present in the past. Moreover, for the first time there have been new records of this species on the occidental coast of Morocco, where the models also predict a maximum in the favorability. This methodology could be used to detect the best places to introduce new individuals or to create protected areas.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Tomography and geodynamics structure of the Ibero- Maghrebian region

The present study has two main goals: 1) use the most actual seismological data from recent earthquakes in the extended Alboran region to develop a geodynamic-structural model for the region through the application of seismic local tomography techniques; 2) modelling seismogenic sources using specific applications of analysis. The structural scheme detailed in depth will allows us to define possible structural blocks in region between north of Morocco and Alboran sea. Currently the GPS studies show local movements in northern morocco independently of the general movement of the African plate. The present tomographic study focuses on SW Ibero-Maghrebian region. The P and S arrival times at 52 stations located at north of Morocco (National Institute of Geophysics, CNRST, Rabat), south of Portugal (Instituto de Meteorologia, Lisbon) and Spain (Instituto Geografico National, Madrid) are used for the period between 12/1988 and 30/2008. We use a linearized inversion procedure to find a 3D velocity model for the studied region. The resolution tests indicate that the calculated images give near true structure for the Tanger peninsula, the Alhoceima region and southern Spain at 5km depth. At 15, 30, 45 km depth we observe a near true structure in northern Morocco, and southern Spain. At 60 and 100 km, the southern Spain and SW of Alboran Sea gives a near true structure. The resulting tomographic image shows that the total crustal thickness varies between 25 and 35 km and contains low-velocity anomalies. Is defined clearly a prominent negative P- wave velocity anomaly with a maximum decrease of approximately 6 per cent, at 15 km depth, in the northern Morocco. This low velocity demarcates a small bloc located between Iberia and African plate. This bloc is presented by a prominent high velocity anomaly that shows a maximum increase in P-wave velocity of approximately 6 per cent. The area with high velocity values could represent brittle and competent parts of the crust and lithosphere which sustain seismogenic stress where asperities along the faults could exist and probably more with the Iberia-Africa plate boundary. Strong ground motions from major earthquakes depend strongly upon the 3D seismic velocity structure of the crust. Moreover the 3D velocity model is crucial for a better comprehension of structures behavior and has important practical applications toward understanding earthquake hazard in the Ibero-Maghrebian region. In particular, we hope to contribute, with this model, for seismic risk mitigation in north of Morocco

Land change in northern Morocco

Los miembros del equipo de cooperación internacional "Territorio Andaluz, Desarrollo e Innovación" se han implicado durante más de una década en proyectos de desarrollo sobre zonas colindantes con el Estrecho de Gibraltar. En este artículo se resume el perfil y las conclusiones obtenidas en los proyectos de cooperación desarrollados por el grupo, así como otros hechos relacionados con las transformaciones territoriales del Norte de Marruecos. En la actualidad, las acciones se basan en la construcción de grandes puertos y carreteras cercanas a los nuevos centros turísticos de la costa. Los impactos son evidentes en el medio ambiente y en el contexto social. La transformación radical ha aumentado el atractivo en las zonas urbanas, incrementando el éxodo rural que ya era de por sí considerable. Por otra, la pérdida de calidad de vida la asociamos a la merma de suelo cultivable y el deterioro del medio al poner en cultivo tierras forestales. La agricultura es de subsistencia y como tal está sometida a la supervivencia de las familias en un medio cada vez más desfavorable. Las intervenciones en este medio podrían tomar como ejemplo los patrones que se han aplicado en el entorno rural español en el pasado, cuyo deterioro siguió pautas similares en un período de tiempo más largo.Team members of international cooperation "Territory Andaluz, Development and Innovation" has been involved for over a decade in development projects on areas adjacent to the Strait of Gibraltar. This article summarizes the profile and the conclusions of cooperation projects developed by the group, as well as other facts related to territorial changes in northern Morocco. Currently, the actions are based on the construction of large ports and roads near the new resorts on the coast. The impacts are evident in the environment and in the social context. The radical transformation has increased the attractiveness in urban areas, increasing rural exodus and was itself significant. Furthermore, loss of quality of life associate with the decline of arable land and the deterioration of the forest land put into cultivation. Agriculture is subsistence and as such is subject to the survival of families in an environment increasingly unfavorable. Interventions in this medium could take as an example the patterns that have been implemented in rural Spanish in the past, whose deterioration followed a similar pattern on a longer time period

Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict in Northwest Africa

Examines how climate change affects the number of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa traveling through Nigeria, Niger, Algeria, and Morocco; increased security risks in the region; how these factors exacerbate one another; and intercontinental implications

On vocalism in Moroccan Arabic dialects

Descripción de los fonemas vocálicos del árabe dialectal marroqu

A forecast of international migration flows into EU countries until 2050

The subject of this paper is international migration into EU countries. The research objective is a quantitative estimation of the volume of international migration flows into European countries and their close neighbors until 2050. The forecast of international migration flows is based on the author’s own model of global international migration. The model is based on a synergetic approach and assumptions that the level of migration is determined first of all by the number of existing migrants from that country. The data used for the forecast is UN data on migration flows in 1990-2015, and the UN’s predictions regarding changes in population between now and 2050. The forecast is based on the medium scenario of demographic development offered by the UN. Countries with a current population of more than 5 million are taken into consideration as potential sources of immigration. The predicted values of the total number of international migration flows to each of the EU and neighboring countries for each five-year period until 2050 are determined. The predicted migration flows from EU countries are also determined. It is concluded that the forecasts allow us to claim that the problem of migration will con­tinue for EU countries. However, the essence of this problem is not the prevention of excess migration, but attracting migrants to the countries of the ‘second Europe.

Different Roads to Liberalisation: Scenarios for a Moroccan Case Study of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements. CEPS ENARPRI Working Papers No. 9, 1 October 2004

Although the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) in spirit aims at fostering economic growth and stability at the southern periphery of the EU, the contents of the trade agreements reflect the more narrow economic interests of specific, southern EU member states (dell’Aquila & Kuiper, 2003). Key characteristics of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements (EMAAs) are an asymmetric focus on liberalising trade in the manufactured goods of the MPCs, while maintaining trade barriers on agricultural products. Several studies have quantified the expected impact of the proposed Mediterranean free trade area. A review of recent studies indicated that several characteristic features of the MPCs and the EMAAs are missing in existing analyses (Kuiper, 2004). This paper therefore focuses on identifying scenarios for further research that reflect key policy and research issues identified in an earlier study (dell’Aquila and Kuiper, 2003), while accounting for the gaps in existing analyses as identified in Kuiper (2004). Although limited to analysing the specific case of Morocco, the scenarios defined in this paper refer to issues that are relevant for all Mediterranean partner countries

Structural and hydrogeological features of a Lias carbonate aquifer in the Triffa Plain, NE Morocco

The rising demand for water and the contamination of shallow water table aquifers has led authorities in NE Morocco to look for deeper groundwater resources in the Triffa Plain, namely in Lower Jurassic (Lias) dolomitic limestones. The liassic aquifer is of strategic importance for the development of the region, however, its hydrodynamic behaviour is poorly understood due to lack of hydrogeological data and block structure. This article presents a first effort towards understanding the structure and hydraulic behaviour of the aquifer. Exploration borehole data and results from geophysical campaigns were integrated into a GIS environment to build a preliminary model of the aquifer structure. The aquifer behaves as an unconfined aquifer in the northern part of the Béni Snassen Mountains (the recharge area), but as it dips to the north, it becomes confined by marls and shales of the Middle/Upper Jurassic. Even though piezometric level data are scarce, a tentative piezometric map was produced. Three blocks separated by NW–SE trending faults in a horst and graben structure, with distinct flow behaviours were identified: Berkane, Fezouane and Sidi Rahmoun blocks. Those blocks also show differences in hydraulic conductivity distribution. As a result of the reaction with the dolomitic limestones, the groundwater is of calcium-magnesium bicarbonate type. Groundwater temperature as measured in springs ranges from 29 C to 37 C in springs and constitutes a potential low enthalpy geothermal resource