LA DIVERSITÉ FLORISTIQUE DES PELOUSES HUMIDES D’ALTITUDE: CAS DE QUELQUES SITES DU HAUT ATLAS MAROCAIN

Résumé. Dans le Haut Atlas, les pelouses humides et pozzines constituent des pâturages assez convoités. Leur flore se caractérise par une grande richesse spécifique: 165 taxons inventoriés dans la zone d’étude (plateau de l’Oukaimeden, plateau de Tichka et l’amont de la haute vallée d’Ait Mizane) avec un taux d’endémisme estimé à 30,3% et un degré de rareté qui atteint 31%. Dans un contexte dominé par l’élément méditerranéen, la flore de ces pelouses est très enrichie de souches septentrionales 15,7%, repoussées vers nos latitudes méridionales lors des dernières glaciations. Ces zones humides vulnérables de par leur structure, fonctionnement écologique et état de conservation, se trouvent très touchées par les changements climatiques et les mutations environnementales récentes. Summary. In the High Atlas mountains, the wet grasslands and pozzines constitute a highly coveted pastoral resource. Its flora is characterized by a great specific richness: 165 taxa are recorded in the study area (Oukaimeden plateau, Tichka plateau and the upstream of the Ait Mizane high valley) and schow a rate of endemism estimated at 30.3% and a degree of rarity reaching 31%. In a Mediterranean context, the wet grasslands flora is supplemented with plants of northern origin 15.7%, pushed towards the extreme southern latitudes during the last glaciations. These wet pastures, highly sensitive by their structure, ecological functions and their conservation state, are very affected by the climatic changes and the global environmental changes

A Quantitative Study on the Ethnobotanical Knowledge about Wild Edible Plants among the Population of Messiwa

BACKGROUND: The preservation of traditional knowledge of wild edible plants (WEPs) is one of the challenges to the sustainability of natural resources. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the traditional knowledge of WEPs in relation to some socio-demographic and economic factors. METHODS: The survey was conducted among the Messiwapopulationthrough a semi-structured questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire concerns socio-demographic and economic information, while the second part concerns the plants recognized and used by the informant. The recognition frequency (RF), the use frequency (UF), the general consumption frequency(CF), the recent consumption frequency (RCF), and the correlation between these frequencies were evaluated. A comparison of means was also used to compare informant’s knowledge according to their socio-demographic and economic status. RESULTS: The three species;Foeniculum vulgare, Ziziphus lotus, and Malva sylvestris were the most recognized (FR = 1) and the most used (FU = 1). The consumption frequency (CF) and the recent consumption frequency (RCF) for Foeniculum vulgare were 1 and 0.9, respectively. Taraxacum getulum, Calendula arvensis and Cyperus rotundus were the least recognized (FR= 0.16; 0.16; 0.48) and least used (FU = 0.3; 0.3; 0.4) species, respectively. The informants who showed a high level of traditional knowledge on WEPs were housewives, with a low level of schooling and at least 45 years old. CONCLUSION: Despite the decline in traditional knowledge about wild edible plants, some populations preserve this knowledge, especially among the elderly. Therefore, documentation of this knowledge is necessary through ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal studies

Biodiversity of the public green spaces in the Urban District of Marrakesh (UDM) (Morocco)

En milieu urbain, l’espace vert public (EVP) constitue un enjeu majeur du développement durable, tant en matière d’environnement que de qualité de vie de leurs usagers. La présente étude présente une première recherche sur les EVP de la ville de Marrakech permettant de disposer d’une base de données scientifiques sur ces EVP qui va aider à la prise de décision et de planification environnementale de la ville. Elle vise (i) l’étude de la diversité de la flore ornementale (ii) et l’analyse de la structure et la répartition spatiale de ces EVP. La prospection a concerné 50 EVP urbains répartis sur les 5 arrondissements de la ville. Les résultats ont montré une diversité de la flore ornementale qui s’élève à 297 espèces asculaires, réparties en 212 genres et 88 familles et dont 77 % des espèces sont exotiques. Cette richesse spécifique est dominée par 12 familles qui détiennent 142 espèces réparties en 85 genres. La fréquence, l’origine et le type biologique des espèces sont très diversifiés. L’étude de la structure a fait ressortir 4 types d’EVP qui diffèrent par leur taille et leur fonction. L’analyse de l’affinité floristique des EVP-CUM a fait apparaître 13 groupes qui se distinguent par leurs compositions floristiques. En conséquence, les EVP de la ville contribuent vivement à la conservation et l’accroissement de la diversité floristique et à l’amélioration de la qualité esthétique de la ville de Marrakech

The Antioxidant Activities of Ethanolic, Methanolic, Ethyl Acetate, and Aqueous Extracts of the Endemic Species, Lavandula mairei Humbert (A Comparative Study between Cold and Hot Extraction)

BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants have been used for therapeutic purposes and have shown important biological properties. This study aimed to evaluate for the first time the antioxidant activities, total flavonoid, and total phenolic contents of Lavandula mairei Humbert. The ethanol, methanol, ethyl-acetate, and water extracts were used for this purpose. METHODS: The antioxidant activities were assessed in vitro by free radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrzyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The total flavonoid and phenolic contents were determined spectrophotometrically with gallic acid and Quercetin as standards. RESULTS: In either Soxhlet or maceration methods, the flavonoids and the total phenolic contents were significantly higher in the methanolic extract (P<0.05) compared to other extracts. The total flavonoid content of L. mairei ranged between 119 and 224.6 mg QE/g DW for Soxhlet extracts and from 111.8 to 148.51 mg QE/g DW for maceration extracts. While the total phenolic content was between 35.12 and 99.37 mg GAE/g DW for Soxhlet extracts and 27.63 to 58.99 mg GAE/g DW for maceration extracts. In either the Soxhlet or maceration method, the highest total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was obtained using the ethanolic extract, while the aqueous extract had the highest antioxidant activity for DPPH and FRAP assays. CONCLUSION: These results showed that Lavandula mairei Humbert has great potential to be a promising candidate for natural plant sources of antioxidants

Treating infants with frigg: linking disease aetiologies, medicinal plant use and careseeking behaviour in southern Morocco

Background: Although most Moroccans rely to some extent on traditional medicine, the practice of frigg to treat paediatric ailments by elderly women traditional healers known as ferraggat, has not yet been documented. We describe the role of these specialist healers, document the medicinal plants they use, and evaluate how and why their practice is changing. Methods: Ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews and observations of medical encounters. Information was collected from traditional healers, namely ferraggat, patients, herbalists and public health professionals. Patients’ and healers’ narratives about traditional medicine were analysed and medicinal plant lists were compiled from healers and herbalists. Plants used were collected, vouchered and deposited in herbaria. Results: Ferragat remain a key health resource to treat infant ailments in the rural High Atlas, because mothers believe only they can treat what are perceived to be illnesses with a supernatural cause. Ferragat possess baraka, or the gift of healing, and treat mainly three folk ailments, taqait, taumist and iqdi, which present symptoms similar to those of ear infections, tonsillitis and gastroenteritis. Seventy plant species were used to treat these ailments, but the emphasis on plants may be a recent substitute for treatments that used primarily wool and blood. This change in materia medica is a shift in the objects of cultural meaningfulness in response to the increasing influence of orthodox Islam and state-sponsored modernisation, including public healthcare and schooling. Conclusions: Religious and other sociocultural changes are impacting the ways in which ferraggat practice. Treatments based on no-longer accepted symbolic elements have been readily abandoned and substituted by licit remedies, namely medicinal plants, which play a legitimisation role for the practice of frigg. However, beliefs in supernatural ailment aetiologies, as well as lack or difficult access to biomedical alternatives, still underlie the need for specialist traditional healers

An ethnomedicinal survey of a Tashelhit speaking community in the High Atlas, Morocco

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Traditional knowledge about medicinal plants from a poorly studied region, the High Atlas in Morocco, is reported here for the first time; this permits consideration of efficacy and safety of current practices whilst highlighting species previously not known to have traditional medicinal use. Aim of the study: Our study aims to document local medicinal plant knowledge among Tashelhit speaking communities through ethnobotanical survey, identifying preferred species and new medicinal plant citations and illuminating the relationship between emic and etic ailment classifications. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical data were collected using standard methods and with prior informed consent obtained before all interactions, data were characterized using descriptive indices and medicinal plants and healing strategies relevant to local livelihoods were identified. Results: 151 vernacular names corresponding to 159 botanical species were found to be used to treat 36 folk ailments grouped in 14 biomedical use categories. Thirty-five (22%) are new medicinal plant records in Morocco, and 26 described as used for the first time anywhere. Fidelity levels (FL) revealed low specificity in plant use, particularly for the most commonly reported plants. Most plants are used in mixtures. Plant use is driven by local concepts of disease, including “hot” and “cold” classification and beliefs in supernatural forces. Conclusion: Local medicinal plant knowledge is rich in the High Atlas, where local populations still rely on medicinal plants for healthcare. We found experimental evidence of safe and effective use of medicinal plants in the High Atlas; but we highlight the use of eight poisonous species

L'adaptation au changement climatique dans le bassin de Tensift au Maroc par une gestion améliorée du bassin versant et le paiement pour les services environnementaux - rapport final

Ce projet bénéficie d'une subvention du Centre de recherches pour le développement international (CRDI), Ottawa, Canada.Le défi que le présent projet de recherche a essayé de relever est de trouver des pistes pour repenser la GIRE dans un contexte du changement climatique, tout en prenant en considération le maintien de la production des biens et services environnementaux. Ceci ne pourra se réaliser qu’à travers des actions permettant de prendre en considération la donne climatique et les instruments basés sur le marché (e.g. le Paiement pour les Services Environnementaux (PSE)) dans les politiques de gestion de l’eau

Conservation assessments and Red Listing of the endemic Moroccan flora (monocotyledons)

Morocco constitutes an important centre of plant diversity and speciation in the Mediterranean Basin. However, numerous species are threatened by issues ranging from human activities to global climatic change. In this study, we present the conservation assessments and Red Listing of the endemic Moroccan monocotyledons according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria and categories. For each species, we include basic taxonomic information, local names and synonyms, uses, a distribution map, extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, population size and trend, a description of habitats and ecological requirements, and a discussion of the threats affecting the species and habitats. We assessed the threatened status of the endemic Moroccan monocotyledons at the species level (59 species) using the IUCN Red List criteria and categories (Version 3.1). This study shows the high extinction risk to the Moroccan monocotyledon flora, with 95% of threatened species (20% Critically Endangered, 50% Endangered, 25% Vulnerable) and only 5% not threatened (2% Near Threatened and 3% Least Concern). The flora is thus of conservation concern, which is poorly recognized, both nationally and internationally. The study presents the first part and so far the only national IUCN Red Data List for a large group of Moroccan plants, and thus provides an overview of the threatened Moroccan flora. This IUCN Red List is an important first step towards the recognition of the danger to Moroccan biodiversity hotspots, conservation of threatened species and the raising of public awareness at national and international levels