Le marécage de Fouwarate (Kenitra, Maroc) : site de conservation d'oiseaux menacés par l'urbanisation

La Merja de Fouwarate se situe dans le Nord-Ouest du Maroc, à l'extrémité sud-ouest de la plaine littorale du Gharb, sur le cours de l'oued Fouwarate, petit affluent du cours terminal de l'oued Sebou. Cette zone humide est l'un des derniers représentant d'un complexe de marécages qui occupait ladite plaine et qui offrait de larges habitats d'escale et d'hivernage d'oiseaux d’eau paléarctiques; outre ce rôle que joue encore ce marais, celui-ci abrite une avifaune nicheuse variée, parmi laquelle se trouvent plusieurs espèces rares ou menacées. Un programme de recensement hebdomadaire de l'avifaune de ce marécage, réalisé durant un cycle annuel complet (août 2009 à août 2010), y a révélé la présence de 57 espèces, réparties dans leur grande majorité (40 espèces) entre quatre groupes : Limicoles (17 espèces), Anatidés (11 espèces), Ardéidés (7 espèces) et Rallidés (5 espèces), mais les plus fortes abondances sont enregistrées par les deux derniers groupes et les plus faibles chez les Limicoles. Ce peuplement est composé à la fois de migrateurs (16 hivernants strictes et six migrateurs de passage, avec huit espèces occasionnelles) et de reproducteurs. Représentant 32 % du peuplement (21 espèces), ces derniers donnent à la Merja de Fouwarate une valeur écologique que peu de zones humides marocaines possèdent.La valeur patrimoniale du site est surtout accrue par le statut de conservation mondial et régional des espèces, sachant que quatre oiseaux d'eau sont inscrits sur la liste rouge mondiale des oiseaux menacés(Aythya nyroca, Numenius arquata et Limosa limosa, appartenant à des populations quasi-menacées, et Marmaronetta angustirostris, considérée comme vulnérable) et que 31 espèces (plus de 50 % du peuplement) ont un statut de conservation défavorable en Europe. Malgré que la Merja de Fouwarate vérifie au moins quatre critères de la Convention de Ramsar (critères 1, 2, 4 et 6), elle ne bénéficie actuellement d’aucun statut de protection en dehors de son identification comme Site d'Intérêt Biologique et Écologique. Au contraire, elle subit depuis longtemps des pollutions urbaines et fait l'objet de drainage et des remblaiements qui menacent sérieusement sa présence à moyen terme.Mots-clés : marécage de Fouwarate, oiseaux d'eau menacés, critères Ramsar, Gharb, Maroc

Analyse de la Biodiversité floristique des zones humides du maroc. Flore rare menacée et halophile

Analysis of the moroccan wetlands floristical diversity: rare, threatened and halophilous flora. The moroccan wetlands flora shows a great floristical richness of these ecosystems, estimated at more than 670 species and subspecies (83 families) which can be supplemented by at least 272 others taxa considered rather as terrestrials but can colonize periodically these biotopes. This flora shows a rate of endemism close to 6,5 %, but the most fact is the great proportion of rare or threatened taxa (estimated at 34%). The halophilous flora was a subjet of particular comment considering the prevalence of the salt biotopes in Morocco, either by the number or the extent of the sites. It counts 115 species and subspecies distributed among 20 families

Assessing the effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention in preserving wintering waterbirds in the Mediterranean

lthough biological conservation is based on international agreements, its effectiveness depends on how countries implement such recommendations as effective conservation tools. The Ramsar Convention is the oldest international treaty for wetland and waterbird conservation, establishing the world's largest network of protected areas. However, since it does not constitute any binding measure, its effectiveness in protecting wintering waterbird populations at an international scale has been questioned. Here, we use long-term (1991–2012) count data to assess the effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention in the Mediterranean Basin. We compared abundance and temporal trends of 114 waterbird species between 251 Ramsar wetlands and 3486 non-Ramsar wetlands. We found that the Ramsar network is critical for wintering waterbirds, concentrating nearly half of all waterbirds counted in the Mediterranean Basin in only 7% of monitored wetlands. Waterbird trends followed a northwestsoutheast gradient, with a population decrease in the East. A significant and positive Ramsar effect on population trends was only found for the species of higher conservation concern in the Maghreb, particularly when a management plan was implemented. The Ramsar Convention was previously used on very important wetlands for waterbirds in Southern Europe, but is now an underused conservation tool. Our study suggests weaknesses in the use of Ramsar as an effective conservation tool in most of the Mediterranean Basin. However, the Ramsar Convention effectiveness to enhance waterbird populations in the Maghreb should encourage strengthening the Ramsar Convention. It should be done particularly in countries with limited environmental agreements and by systematic implementation of management plans. Conservation measures International conventions Protected areas Protection status Monitoring WetlandsacceptedVersio

The future for Mediterranean wetlands: 50 key issues and 50 important conservation research questions

Wetlands are critically important for biodiversity and human wellbeing, but face a range of challenges. This is especially true in the Mediterranean region, where wetlands support endemic and threatened species and remain integral to human societies, but have been severely degraded in recent decades. Here, in order to raise awareness of future challenges and opportunities for Mediterranean wetlands, and to inform proactive research and management, we identified (a) 50 key issues that might affect Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050, and (b) 50 important research questions that, if answered, would have the greatest impact on the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050. We gathered ideas through an online survey and review of recent literature. A diverse assessment panel prioritised ideas through an iterative, anonymised, Delphi-like process of scoring, voting and discussion. The prioritised issues included some that are already well known but likely to have a large impact on Mediterranean wetlands in the next 30 years (e.g. the accumulation of dams and reservoirs, plastic pollution and weak governance), and some that are currently overlooked in the context of Mediterranean wetlands (e.g. increasing desalination capacity and development of antimicrobial resistance). Questions largely focused on how best to carry out conservation interventions, or understanding the impacts of threats to inform conservation decision-making. This analysis will support research, policy and practice related to environmental conservation and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, and provides a model for similar analyses elsewhere in the world

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993-2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTISD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTISD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTISD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming.Peer reviewe

Positive impacts of important bird and biodiversity areas on wintering waterbirds under changing temperatures throughout Europe and North Africa

Migratory waterbirds require an effectively conserved cohesive network of wetland areas throughout their range and life-cycle. Under rapid climate change, protected area (PA) networks need to be able to accommodate climate-driven range shifts in wildlife if they are to continue to be effective in the future. Thus, we investigated geographical variation in the relationship between local temperature anomaly and the abundance of 61 waterbird species during the wintering season across Europe and North Africa during 1990-2015. We also compared the spatio-temporal effects on abundance of sites designated as PAs, Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), both, or neither designation (Unlisted). Waterbird abundance was positively correlated with temperature anomaly, with this pattern being strongest towards north and east Europe. Waterbird abundance was higher inside IBAs, whether they were legally protected or not. Trends in waterbird abundance were also consistently more positive inside both protected and unprotected IBAs across the whole study region, and were positive in Unlisted wetlands in southwestern Europe and North Africa. These results suggest that IBAs are important sites for wintering waterbirds, but also that populations are shifting to unprotected wetlands (some of which are IBAs). Such IBAs may therefore represent robust candidate sites to expand the network of legally protected wetlands under climate change in north-eastern Europe. These results underscore the need for monitoring to understand how the effectiveness of site networks is changing under climate change.Peer reviewe

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993-2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTISD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTISD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTISD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming

Rhithrogena ayadi n. sp., Ephéméroptère nouveau du Moyen Atlas marocain (Heptageniidae)

L'imago male de Rhithrogena ayadi n. sp., récoltée dans une source du Moyen Atlas (Maroc) est décrite et figurée

Estructura biotipológica de las principales redes hídricas rifeñas a través de los simúlidos (Diptera: Simuliidae)

El trabajo está basado en simúlidos recogidos a distintas fases de su desarrollo (larvas, pupas y adultos) entre 1998 y 1999 en las principales redes hidrográficas del macizo rifeño (norte de Marruecos). Se utilizó un análisis de los factores de correspondencias (AFC) para determinar las afinidades y relaciones ecológicas entre 28 especies y 85 estaciones. Se reconoció a cuatro agrupaciones de taxones y estaciones : una primera agrupación caracteriza las especies altícolas y estenotermas, las cuales caracterizan los altlos cursos de agua fría (fuentes y arroyos) ; la agrupación 2 incluye especies propias de zonas de montaña de media y alta altitud ; la nube 3 constituye una agrupación compuesta a nivel ecológico porque incluye una especie a tendencia hemistenoterma junto con las especies más euritermas capturadas en grandes cursos de altitudes medias o bajas ; una última agrupación 4, es formada esencialmente por las especies más termófilas y potamófilas que pertenecen a las zonas mas bajas de los ríos

Ephémèroptères d'Afrique du Nord : I. Ecdyonurus rotschildi Navas, 1929. Description des imagos

L'imago ♀ et les subimagos d'Ecdyonurus rotschildi Navás sont décrits. L'imago c'est redécrit et figuré comparativement à E. aurantiacus (Burmeister)