Land-use change and sustainability in the south-eastern oases of Morocco

The study apprehends modern versus traditional land-use changes in the Moroccan oases. The traditional local knowledge and land-use that ensured ecological equilibrium for centuries is decreasing. Modern entrepreneuship practices are increasing and have risky environmental impacts. By using the spatial and factor analyses, we confirm the spatial disparities in the region and distinguish four different groups of communes (in high mountain communes, traditional agriculture favors resources’ conservation; downstream communes experience greater changes and ecological ruptures). The recommendations of the study include the need to rethink adopted development models and elaborate new actions that respect local specificities, consider environmental equilibrium and rehabilitate local ecosystems

Las controversias de los actores y la gobernanza territorial en las cercanías del sur de Fez (Marruecos)

This article discusses the actors’ controversies on the suburban development in the southern vicinity of Fez (the commune of Ain Chkef, Morocco). These controversies are heavily affecting the local development and impose costly burdens in terms of impacts on local systems. They were analyzed in this article using a synthetic spatial methodology based on socio-spatial data and cartography by ArcGis. The role of terrestrial property on actors’ intense controversies in the area is discussed in terms of the opportunities it offers for investment and as conflicts’ factor between rights’ holders, operators and other developing actors. Controversies are sometimes linked to issues of land value, the development of activities (gentrification, activity zones and actors contesting positions), and to the location of major equipment or environmental resources. The governance and steering of local development under these conditions is complex, because the decision-maker should assimilate the actors’ needs and all influencing parameters in the suburbs, to develop the convergent governance suggested as a solution. It includes clear visions, a further knowledge of territorial stakes, the key factors of the territorial management and the causes and motivations of the actors’ controversies to find adapted solutions and answers to their questions. Convergent governance must be anticipative, communicative and able to create the actors’ convergences. Suburbs’ complex realities may therefore be best understood using the convergent governance approach with a further consideration of relationality and territoriality that integrate the local, regional and external contextual influencing factors.Este artículo analiza las controversias de los actores sobre el desarrollo suburbano en las cercanías del sur de Fez (la comuna de Ain Chkef, Marruecos). Estas controversias están afectando en gran medida el desarrollo local e imponen cargas costosas en términos de impactos en los sistemas locales. Se analizan en este artículo estas controversias utilizando una metodología espacial sintética basada en datos socio-espaciales y cartografía de ArcGis. El papel de la propiedad de la tierra en las intensas controversias de los actores en el área se discute en términos de las oportunidades que ofrece para la inversión y como un factor de conflicto entre los titulares de derechos, operadores y otros actores en desarrollo. Las controversias a veces están vinculadas a cuestiones relacionadas con el valor de la tierra, el desarrollo de actividades (gentrificación, zonas de actividad y actores que disputan puestos), y a la ubicación de equipos principales o recursos ambientales. La gobernanza y la dirección del desarrollo local en estas condiciones es compleja, ya que el tomador de decisiones debe asimilar las necesidades de los actores y todos los parámetros que influyen en los suburbios, para desarrollar la gobernanza convergente sugerida como una solución. Incluye visiones claras, un mayor conocimiento de los intereses territoriales, los factores clave de la gestión territorial y las causas y motivaciones de las controversias de los actores para encontrar soluciones y respuestas adaptadas a sus preguntas. La gobernanza convergente debe ser anticipativa, comunicativa y capaz de crear las convergencias de los actores. Por lo tanto, las realidades complejas de los suburbios pueden entenderse mejor utilizando el enfoque de gobernanza convergente con una consideración adicional de la relación y la territorialidad que integran los factores de influencia contextuales locales, regionales y externos

Scale’s impact in education system’s performance: Cases in Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco

This study aimed to apprehend the scale’s role in education planning and performance. The national scale approaches tend to neglect local specificities. The relevance of the provincial and local scales is underlined in Draa-Tafilalet region (Morocco). By comparing the provincial data and indicators to study the education system's efficiency, we argue that these are pertinent scales to further understanding the needs, causality and key parameters of education. Collected data is analyzed using the data envelopment analysis (DEA). Useful indicators to compare the spatial variability of the education system’s efficiency were produced and discussed at a provincial scale and interpreted considering the local socioeconomic characteristics in each province. The five provinces of the region (Errachidia, Ouarzazate, Tineghir, Midelt, Zagora, and Midelt) are considered as adapted decision-making unit (DMU) in the study. The results show the provincial scale is relevant to apprehend the education system’s performance. It is also important in education planning. The spatial differences in education efficiency at this scale show evidence of weak education impacts among rural populations in the recently created provinces such as Tineghir, Midelt, and Zagora. The criterion of education efficiency measured by DEA ranks Tineghir in the last position. This province needs special attention in planning and development

Las controversias de los actores y la gobernanza territorial en las cercanías del sur de Fez (Marruecos)

Este artículo analiza las controversias de los actores sobre el desarrollo suburbano en las cercanías del sur de Fez (la comuna de Ain Chkef, Marruecos). Estas controversias están afectando en gran medida el desarrollo local e imponen cargas costosas en términos de impactos en los sistemas locales. Se analizan en este artículo estas controversias utilizando una metodología espacial sintética basada en datos socio-espaciales y cartografía de ArcGis. El papel de la propiedad de la tierra en las intensas controversias de los actores en el área se discute en términos de las oportunidades que ofrece para la inversión y como un factor de conflicto entre los titulares de derechos, operadores y otros actores en desarrollo. Las controversias a veces están vinculadas a cuestiones relacionadas con el valor de la tierra, el desarrollo de actividades (gentrificación, zonas de actividad y actores que disputan puestos), y a la ubicación de equipos principales o recursos ambientales. La gobernanza y la dirección del desarrollo local en estas condiciones es compleja, ya que el tomador de decisiones debe asimilar las necesidades de los actores y todos los parámetros que influyen en los suburbios, para desarrollar la gobernanza convergente sugerida como una solución. Incluye visiones claras, un mayor conocimiento de los intereses territoriales, los factores clave de la gestión territorial y las causas y motivaciones de las controversias de los actores para encontrar soluciones y respuestas adaptadas a sus preguntas. La gobernanza convergente debe ser anticipativa, comunicativa y capaz de crear las convergencias de los actores. Por lo tanto, las realidades complejas de los suburbios pueden entenderse mejor utilizando el enfoque de gobernanza convergente con una consideración adicional de la relación y la territorialidad que integran los factores de influencia contextuales locales, regionales y externos

The Field Skills’ Development through Teaching Environmental Interactions in High School: Draa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco

The study apprehends the educational impacts of fieldwork in earth sciences teaching at high school. We assess its role in students’ skills improvement, based on a trip to Ait Idir (Ait Sedrate) in southeastern Morocco. The adopted approach consists of comparing skills acquired by a group of 26 high school students before and after the fieldwork. The area was chosen based on its scientific relevance, mainly in terms of morphologic diversity and accessibility. The students were engaged in the fieldwork on 4 December 2021 after doing a classroom course on introductive geology, granulometry, and sands’ morphoscopy. In the field, students were asked to observe and discuss chosen landforms and deposits that may facilitate their skills development. Several technic tools were used such as maps, satellite images, and other geotechnical and mechanical tools. The results show the important positive impact of the fieldwork in teaching earth sciences at high school. It offered observable elements that students enjoy describing and discussing. The students engage their critical thinking to assess and discuss the landscape structure, the geomorphic forms, and their genetic processes and perceive the importance of the scale concepts for example. The post-test confirms that 53% of the students gave the right answers to asked general questions on topography, deposits, landforms, contextualization, and human–nature interactions for example. A total of 75% of asked questions were correctly answered by students concerning the site location, its physical framework, and its sedimentologic impacts. The research results are important in terms of soft skills development, and regarding their scientific, didactic, and cognitive impacts

Physical and Chemical Improvement of Clay Parameters Using Doped Marl with the Pozzolan in Fez Vicnity (Morocco)

Given the increasing exploitation of clay in Morocco for ceramic industry and for the purpose of the benefit reuse of this resource, a study is conducted in order to carry out the identification and characterization of Miocene clay after doping with pozzolan. The objective of this work is to improve the physicalchemical characteristics of Miocene clay of Fez region, by doping it pozzolan at different contents: 5, 10, 15 and 20%. Physical and chemical characterization of this clay was carried out before and after doping with pozzolan following various analytical technics, such as the X- ray fluorescence and geotechnical investigation. The result of geochemical analysis showed a higher rate of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), iron oxide (Fe2O3) and titanium oxide (TiO2). Further characterization of Atterberg limits have shown that the plasticity of doped materials increases. Similarly the mechanical behaviour of marls doped with pozzolan have significantly improved, providing a mechanical strength of obtained materials up to 670N when firing at 1000 °C, compared to the raw marls