The scale of forest fires in Morocco has reached alarming levels, with data from 2022 revealing a devastating impact. In that year alone, Moroccan forests had 54% of all registered fires recorded between 2012 to 2022, marking this period as unprecedented in the country’s history. These fires devastated 51,717 hectares in 61 provinces, with the northern regions bearing the brunt. The province of Larache alone accounted for 34% of the total area burned, reflecting a worrying concentration of destruction along Morocco’s Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.
These numbers are the result of an in-depth investigation about wildfires in Morocco that journalist Yassir Al-Makhtoum carried out with the support of the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) network, one of AMWAJ’s media partners. The investigation used both local knowledge and data analysis to understand the complex causes of these wildfires. The results of the investigation reveal that many of these fires are not solely the result of inevitable climatic events but are linked to deliberate deforestation practices in areas destined for hotels, luxury restaurants, and other high-class properties.
The ARIJ investigation identified that Morocco recorded 4,913 wildfires, with the northern region accounting for 67% of the burned areas. This reflects alarming rates of forest loss in the north. Between 2016 and 2022, over 95,000 hectares of forests disappeared in the region, primarily due to human expansion. While reforestation projects in the desert and semi-desert southern provinces have helped offset the overall loss of forests, rampant development in the north presents a vastly different picture. The report’s insights raise the challenge of reframing dominant narratives that forest fires are caused exclusively by climate change or natural events. Instead, they point to the interplay between climate change and systemic failures of governance, lack of oversight, and the prioritisation of economic interests over environmental protection.
Climate change plays a secondary role
The report also brings us to the ecological importance of forests, and experts point out that while human activities are the main cause of these forest fires, climate change contributes as a secondary factor. Forests play a crucial element in mitigating climate change and supporting ecosystems. In Morocco and elsewhere, forests act as natural reservoirs, aiding water retention, regulating temperatures, and promoting biodiversity. They also contribute to rainfall generation through evapotranspiration – a process where trees release water into the atmosphere, helping sustain precipitation patterns in arid and semi-arid regions. The destruction of forests triggers cascading effects. Beyond the immediate loss of flora and fauna, it reduces the land’s capacity to absorb and retain water, exacerbating desertification and threatening agricultural productivity. This ecological imbalance has long-term implications for both local and global climates.
The role of luxury and tourism on the coast
Northern Morocco’s stunning landscapes and proximity to Europe have made it a prime location for foreign investment in tourism and real estate. While these projects generate significant revenue, they come at a high environmental cost. Forested areas that once served as ecological barriers are being replaced with luxury villas, golf courses, and sprawling resorts. Another troubling factor is that wildfires often clear even more land, conveniently paving the way for such developments. This outside investment interest often results in the government turning a blind eye to the plight of the victims of forest fires – often small-scale farmers and rural communities. These individuals lose their homes, livelihoods, and ancestral lands, receiving little to no support or compensation from the government. Many are forced to abandon their land, allowing developers to acquire vacant spaces at minimal cost.
The importance of rewriting climate narratives through data and art
At first glance, it may seem tempting to attribute Morocco’s growing wildfires solely to the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and erratic weather patterns undoubtedly exacerbate fire risks. However, as the findings of ARIJ’s investigative report show, climate change is neither the sole nor even the primary driver of these fires. They warn that it is crucial to choose how we tell this story carefully so that effective measures can be implemented. Otherwise, there is a risk of absolving those responsible for preventable actions.
Typically, this creates a fatalistic narrative suggesting that such losses are inevitable, whereas it is crucial to communicate that society can reverse this trend. As Mohamed Komani, an investigative journalist with ARIJ, remarked at a “We Don’t Have Time” conference , “We wondered whether climate headlines are concealing the role of human negligence and greed. Are we being led to believe that nothing can be done when the reality is quite different?”. Komani’s words highlight a broader challenge in climate communication on balancing climate science with the systemic human factors that amplify its impacts.
To raise awareness and engage policymakers and citizens, journalism plays a crucial role in ensuring accountability for environmental harm and advocating for sustainable alternatives to prevent further damage. Beyond journalism, the storytelling surrounding Morocco’s wildfires has also attracted the attention of videomakers and designers. These creators have joined forces with data journalists to bring art into information dissemination, creating engaging and easily digestible content that helps more people understand what is truly happening in the North African country. The result is a project called “Rewriting Climate Headlines”, a research collaboration between the Master Non-Linear Narrative at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, and ARIJ – Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism.
Better perspectives after effective actions
Despite these challenges, there are signs of hope. A recent report by Morocco’s National Agency for Water and Forests revealed a significant decline in forest fire incidents during the first eight months of 2024. This fact was raised for Hespress, a Moroccan digital media, which reported in an article that the 2024 data shows a 40% decrease in the number of fires compared to 2022 and a 30% decrease compared to 2023 – a marked improvement compared to previous years.
This suggests that specific interventions, such as controlling fires in their early stages with the aerial firefighting fleet with drones, adopted by the Ministry of the Interior, Civil Protection and the Royal Armed Forces, are effective. Another measure highlighted was the dissemination of information which contributed to greater awareness among the population and collective vigilance. Favorable weather conditions helped too.
The report also says that Morocco must adopt a more sustainable approach to forest management. This includes integrating reforestation efforts with sustainable land use policies, involving local communities as stewards of conservation and strengthening regulatory frameworks to hold developers accountable. The story of Morocco’s wildfires serves as a microcosm of the global challenges of addressing environmental degradation linked to climate change impacts and economic profit interests.
It underscores the need to go beyond simplistic narratives and engage with the complex interplay of human and natural factors. It’s about changing the outcomes. Protecting Morocco’s forests is not just an ecological imperative; it is a moral one, tied to the well-being of present and future generations.
