Ten-year survey of breeding Anatidae of Lake Sidi Boughaba (North-western Marocco): status, tendencies of change and avenues for future research

A ten years survey of duck species was carried out in the Ramsar site and Important Bird Area (IBA) of Sidi Boughaba. No such survey has ever been conducted before in Morocco to study the change in number of breeding duck species in the country. Overall results have shown the appearance of new breeding species in the site : Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina), Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) and White-Headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala). Other species have become more regular like Gadwall (Anas strepera) and Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) while the vulnerable Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) continue to breed in this wetland with numbers that remain stable though the numbers of females with ducklings are decreasing in these two species. The number of breeding ducks species in this wetland is the highest in Morocco and in the Maghreb. The overall results showed that the numbers of Gadwall, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard and Ferruginous Duck are markedly increasing following the same expansion patterns at both regional and Mediterranean levels. The initiation of similar researches on other wetlands is essential to assess the abundance of duck populations and indicate trends of this breeding waterfowl group at larger scalesUn suivi sur dix ans des anatidés nicheurs a été effectué sur le site Ramsar et la Zone d'Importance pour la conservation des Oiseaux (ZICO) de Sidi Boughaba. Sur ce site, trois espèces ont récemment niché il s'agit de la Nette rousse (Netta rufina), du Fuligule milouin (Aythya ferina) et de l'Érismature à tête blanche (Oxyura leucocephala). D'autres espèces sont devenues plus régulières comme le Chipeau (Anas strepera) et le Fuligule nyroca (Aythya nyroca) alors que la Sarcelle marbrée (Marmaronetta angustirostris) et le Colvert (Anas platyrhynchos) continuent de s'y reproduire avec des effectifs qui demeurent stables malgré un nombre de femelles avec canetons qui ne cesse de chuter. Le nombre d'espèces d'anatidés nicheurs recensé sur ce plan d'eau reste des plus élevés au Maroc et au Maghreb. Les résultats ont montré que les effectifs des Chipeaux, Nettes rousses, Fuligules milouins et Fuligules nyrocas sont en net accroissement, suivant généralement la même dynamique d'expansion que celle enregistrée aux niveaux régional et méditerranéen. L'initiation de recherches similaires sur d'autres sites humides est primordiale pour évaluer l'abondance et préciser les tendances démographiques de ce groupe d'oiseaux d'eau nicheurs à une échelle spatiale beaucoup plus grande

Review of water energy food nexus in Africa : Morocco and South Africa as case studies

Abstract: The population of African continent is significantly increasing which has given rise to societal, economic and environmental changes. This will generate an increase in demand for food, water and energy. Thus, strategies for sustainable management of natural resources need to be adopted urgently in order to match the future needs and to ensure sustainable development on the continent. The Water Energy Food (WEF) nexus is one the avenues for studying the current and future interactions and interdependencies of the WEF sectors under different scenarios and challenges in the effort towards establishing sustainable use of natural resources. Policies around the nexus approach are few or absent at the continental and country levels. This paper is a first review on the adoption of the Nexus in two model African countries, Morocco and South Africa. The review compares the water, energy and food sectors and the related national policies, plans and frameworks. The data related to the WEF Nexus revealed key difficulties of availability in both countries. A comparative analysis of the situation in both countries demonstrated differences in policies relating to the WEF Nexus across the sectors: water, energy, and agriculture. Additionally, the paper explores the relevance of technology-assisted frameworks for the WEF nexus and also analyzed risks to agriculture and food security in the context of the reviewed countries

Evidence-based numerical building model enhancement and building energy efficiency evaluation in the case of Morocco

This paper presents a framework for numerical building validation enhancement based on detailed building specifications from in-situ measurements and evidence-based validation assessment undertaken on a detached sustainable lightweight building in a semi-arid climate. The validation process has been undergone in a set of controlled experiments – a free-float period, and steady-state internal temperatures. The validation was conducted for a complete year with a 1-min time step for the hourly indoor temperature and the variable refrigerant flow (VRF) energy consumption. The initial baseline model was improved by three series of validation steps per three different field measurements including thermal transmittance, glazing thermal and optical properties, and airtightness. Then, the accurate and validated model was used for building energy efficiency assessment in 12 regions of Morocco. This study aims to assess the effect of accurate building characteristics values on the numerical model enhancement. The initial CV(RMSE) and NMBE have improved respectively from 14.58 % and −11.23 %–7.85 % and 1.86 % for the indoor temperature. Besides, from 31.17 % to 14.37 %–20.57 % and 9.77 % for energy consumption. The findings demonstrate that the lightweight construction with the use of a variable refrigerant flow system could be energy efficient in the southern regions of Morocco

Genomic basis of insularity and ecological divergence in barn owls (Tyto alba) of the Canary Islands

Islands, and the particular organisms that populate them, have long fascinated biologists. Due to their isolation, islands offer unique opportunities to study the effect of neutral and adaptive mechanisms in determining genomic and phenotypical divergence. In the Canary Islands, an archipelago rich in endemics, the barn owl (Tyto alba), present in all the islands, is thought to have diverged into a subspecies (T. a. gracilirostris) on the eastern ones, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Taking advantage of 40 whole-genomes and modern population genomics tools, we provide the first look at the origin and genetic makeup of barn owls of this archipelago. We show that the Canaries hold diverse, long-standing and monophyletic populations with a neat distinction of gene pools from the different islands. Using a new method, less sensitive to structure than classical FST, to detect regions involved in local adaptation to insular environments, we identified a haplotype-like region likely under selection in all Canaries individuals and genes in this region suggest morphological adaptations to insularity. In the eastern islands, where the subspecies is present, genomic traces of selection pinpoint signs of adapted body proportions and blood pressure, consistent with the smaller size of this population living in a hot arid climate. In turn, genomic regions under selection in the western barn owls from Tenerife showed an enrichment in genes linked to hypoxia, a potential response to inhabiting a small island with a marked altitudinal gradient. Our results illustrate the interplay of neutral and adaptive forces in shaping divergence and early onset speciation

Influenza Surveillance among Outpatients and Inpatients in Morocco, 1996–2009

There is limited information about the epidemiology of influenza in Africa. We describe the epidemiology and seasonality of influenza in Morocco from 1996 to 2009 with particular emphasis on the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 influenza seasons. Successes and challenges of the enhanced surveillance system introduced in 2007 are also discussed.Virologic sentinel surveillance for influenza virus was initiated in Morocco in 1996 using a network of private practitioners that collected oro-pharyngeal and naso-pharyngeal swabs from outpatients presenting with influenza-like-illness (ILI). The surveillance network expanded over the years to include inpatients presenting with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) at hospitals and syndromic surveillance for ILI and acute respiratory infection (ARI). Respiratory samples and structured questionnaires were collected from eligible patients, and samples were tested by immunofluorescence assays and by viral isolation for influenza viruses.We obtained a total of 6465 respiratory specimens during 1996 to 2009, of which, 3102 were collected during 2007-2009. Of those, 2249 (72%) were from patients with ILI, and 853 (27%) were from patients with SARI. Among the 3,102 patients, 98 (3%) had laboratory-confirmed influenza, of whom, 85 (87%) had ILI and 13 (13%) had SARI. Among ILI patients, the highest proportion of laboratory-confirmed influenza occurred in children less than 5 years of age (3/169; 2% during 2007-2008 and 23/271; 9% during 2008-2009) and patients 25-59 years of age (8/440; 2% during 2007-2009 and 21/483; 4% during 2008-2009). All SARI patients with influenza were less than 14 years of age. During all surveillance years, influenza virus circulation was seasonal with peak circulation during the winter months of October through April.Influenza results in both mild and severe respiratory infections in Morocco, and accounted for a large proportion of all hospitalizations for severe respiratory illness among children 5 years of age and younger

Risk factors for tuberculosis treatment failure, default, or relapse and outcomes of retreatment in Morocco

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with tuberculosis require retreatment if they fail or default from initial treatment or if they relapse following initial treatment success. Outcomes among patients receiving a standard World Health Organization Category II retreatment regimen are suboptimal, resulting in increased risk of morbidity, drug resistance, and transmission.. In this study, we evaluated the risk factors for initial treatment failure, default, or early relapse leading to the need for tuberculosis retreatment in Morocco. We also assessed retreatment outcomes and drug susceptibility testing use for retreatment patients in urban centers in Morocco, where tuberculosis incidence is stubbornly high.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients with smear- or culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis presenting for retreatment were identified using clinic registries in nine urban public clinics in Morocco. Demographic and outcomes data were collected from clinical charts and reference laboratories. To identify factors that had put these individuals at risk for failure, default, or early relapse in the first place, initial treatment records were also abstracted (if retreatment began within two years of initial treatment), and patient characteristics were compared with controls who successfully completed initial treatment without early relapse.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>291 patients presenting for retreatment were included; 93% received a standard Category II regimen. Retreatment was successful in 74% of relapse patients, 48% of failure patients, and 41% of default patients. 25% of retreatment patients defaulted, higher than previous estimates. Retreatment failure was most common among patients who had failed initial treatment (24%), and default from retreatment was most frequent among patients with initial treatment default (57%). Drug susceptibility testing was performed in only 10% of retreatment patients. Independent risk factors for failure, default, or early relapse after initial treatment included male gender (aOR = 2.29, 95% CI 1.10-4.77), positive sputum smear after 3 months of treatment (OR 7.14, 95% CI 4.04-13.2), and hospitalization (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.01-4.34). Higher weight at treatment initiation was protective. Male sex, substance use, missed doses, and hospitalization appeared to be risk factors for default, but subgroup analyses were limited by small numbers.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Outcomes of retreatment with a Category II regimen are suboptimal and vary by subgroup. Default among patients receiving tuberculosis retreatment is unacceptably high in urban areas in Morocco, and patients who fail initial tuberculosis treatment are at especially high risk of retreatment failure. Strategies to address risk factors for initial treatment default and to identify patients at risk for failure (including expanded use of drug susceptibility testing) are important given suboptimal retreatment outcomes in these groups.</p

Breeding Habitat Requirements of Bonelli’s Eagle and Trends in Eastern Morocco: Implications for Conservation Planning

The habitat requirements and biology of the nesting Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) in the Moulouya river gorges of southwestern Middle Atlas were studied from 2005–2015. Fifteen to fifty-eight Bonelli’s Eagle territories were occupied in one decade and produce in averaged 1.34 fledglings per occupied site. Population of Bonelli’s Eagles in the Moulouya river gorges seems healthy, though much of the apparent growth in population must be attributed to the increase in Houbara Buastard (Chlamydotis undata), Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) and Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara) in an area of 80.000 km² near the study area were a conservation and hunting game reserve was established

Recycled wastewater treatment plant sludge as a construction material additive to ecological lightweight earth bricks

Sludge disposal has major drawbacks on the environment when damping wastewater treatment sludge in landfills and estuaries. In addition to financial drawbacks manifested by the poor sludge management due to the lack of valorization regulations or investments’ encouragement. This paper analyzes the mechanical, physicochemical, and thermal properties of earth bricks of unfired type thanks to their low energy demand and high energy savings’ potential. This enables promoting a cleaner production protocol in accordance to the Moroccan testing standards in the building sector. X-ray Diffraction and Fluorescence analysis of the earth and sludge deployed reflected a dominance in Quartz (SiO2) with a respective 59.6% and 28.37%. This affirms the high clayey composition in the used earth material. Various sludge additive percentages (0%, 1%, 3%, 7%, 15% and 20%) to earth material, by weight, are investigated. Higher sludge content in the brick samples’ matrix produced more porous specimens, up to 17%, compared to control samples, of 0% additive content, with 1.04% porosity level. This resulted in higher capillary water absorption coefficient 47.15 ​g/(cm2.min0.5) and lower compressive strength 3.95 ​MPa compared to reference values, of 0% additive, of 25.10 ​g/(cm2.min0.5) and 6.17 ​MPa, respectively. In addition, bulk density analysis classified produced brick samples as lightweight construction materials, following the Moroccan testing standards. This is due to specimens’ respective bulk density does not go beyond the 1.75 ​g/cm3 mark. Improvements in thermal performance were also recorded with 43% and 30% gains in thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity properties, respectively, compared to control samples. Moreover, the incorporation of sludge additive into the clayey earth matrix has shown a decrease in the mixtures’ pH level. This resulted in producing more porous brick samples with improved thermal properties and lower mechanical compressive strength due to deterioration

Dix années de suivi des anatidés nicheurs sur le lac de Sidi Boughaba (Nord-ouest Marocain) : Situation, tendances d’évolution et perspectives de recherche

Ten-year survey of breeding Anatidae of Lake Sidi Boughaba (North-western Marocco) : status, tendencies of change and avenues for future research. A ten years survey of duck species was carried out in the Ramsar site and Important Bird Area (IBA) of Sidi Boughaba. No such survey has ever been conducted before in Morocco to study the change in number of breeding duck species in the country. Overall results have shown the appearance of new breeding species in the site : Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina), Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) and White-Headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala). Other species have become more regular like Gadwall (Anas strepera) and Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) while the vulnerable Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) continue to breed in this wetland with numbers that remain stable though the numbers of females with ducklings are decreasing in these two species. The number of breeding ducks species in this wetland is the highest in Morocco and in the Maghreb. The overall results showed that the numbers of Gadwall, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard and Ferruginous Duck are markedly increasing following the same expansion patterns at both regional and Mediterranean levels. The initiation of similar researches on other wetlands is essential to assess the abundance of duck populations and indicate trends of this breeding waterfowl group at larger scales.Un suivi sur dix ans des anatidés nicheurs a été effectué sur le site Ramsar et la Zone d’Importance pour la conservation des Oiseaux (ZICO) de Sidi Boughaba. Sur ce site, trois espèces ont récemment niché il s’agit de la Nette rousse (Netta rufina), du Fuligule milouin (Aythya ferina) et de l’Érismature à tête blanche (Oxyura leucocephala). D’autres espèces sont devenues plus régulières comme le Chipeau (Anas strepera) et le Fuligule nyroca (Aythya nyroca) alors que la Sarcelle marbrée (Marmaronetta angustirostris) et le Colvert (Anas platyrhynchos) continuent de s’y reproduire avec des effectifs qui demeurent stables malgré un nombre de femelles avec canetons qui ne cesse de chuter. Le nombre d’espèces d’anatidés nicheurs recensé sur ce plan d’eau reste des plus élevés au Maroc et au Maghreb. Les résultats ont montré que les effectifs des Chipeaux, Nettes rousses, Fuligules milouins et Fuligules nyrocas sont en net accroissement, suivant généralement la même dynamique d’expansion que celle enregistrée aux niveaux régional et méditerranéen. L’initiation de recherches similaires sur d’autres sites humides est primordiale pour évaluer l’abondance et préciser les tendances démographiques de ce groupe d’oiseaux d’eau nicheurs à une échelle spatiale beaucoup plus grande.Cherkaoui Imad, Dakki Mohamed, Lahrouz Saïd, Hanane Saâd. Dix années de suivi des anatidés nicheurs sur le lac de Sidi Boughaba (Nord-ouest Marocain) : Situation, tendances d’évolution et perspectives de recherche. In: Revue d'Écologie (La Terre et La Vie), tome 68, n°2, 2013. pp. 167-180

Mechanical and physicochemical performances of reinforced unfired clay bricks with recycled Typha-fibers waste as a construction material additive

The aim of this study is to evaluate the suitability of recycled Typha-fibers waste as a construction material additive to unfired clay bricks. The novel approach of this paper is providing an alternative of damping Typha plants in landfills and waterways, by recycling these waste and putting them into good use as a construction material additive. Physicochemical and performance of prepared brick samples of clay plus recycled Typha-fibers waste additives, at multiple proportions (0%, 1%, 3%, 7%, 15% and 20%) by weight, are investigated according to the Moroccan testing standards in the building sector. A steady-state mixing technique with an electric stirrer, for 10 ​min and at 95 ​rpm, was adopted to ensure a homogenous distribution of the fibrous particles inside the clay matrix to produce homogenous mixtures. The used clay was found of type Illite with non-swelling characteristics and a dominant SiO2 content, 59.6%, following X-ray diffraction and fluorescence tests. The incorporation of high Typha-fibers’ waste additives produced more porous bricks; as 20% of additive content reflected the highest recorded porosity, of 14.95%, compared to reference samples, 1.14%. This prompted higher capillary water absorption coefficient with higher Typha-fibers waste proportions. A 55% increase in water absorption was observed with the incorporation of 20% additive content compared to reference samples; yet obtained capillary measurements were under the maximum permissible water absorption limit, according to Moroccan testing standards NM EN 772-11. In addition, bulk density measurements showed that prepared brick samples can be classified as lightweight structures, as their bulk density is lower than 1.75 ​g/cm3. Produced specimens were classified as Earth Blocks Class 4 (EB4), Earth Blocks Class 3 (EB3) and Earth Blocks Class 2 (EB2) according to their recorded compressive strength. It can be deduced that higher Typha-fiber additive content produced good functioning brick samples, following Moroccan and international testing standards, with a more porous and lightweight structures, higher water absorption ration and decreased compressive strength