Partner's Voice – The Ifrane Project in Morocco: Preserve, Innovate, Inspire by the FFEM

Hear from Zouhair Amhaouch, Head of the Department of National Parks and Protected Areas at the National Agency for Water and Forests, and coordinator of the Ifrane Project.

Located in Morocco’s Middle Atlas region, Ifrane National Park has become a symbol of nature conservation in the country. This success is the result of a long-standing cooperation initiated in the early 2000s between the FFEM, AFD, and Moroccan authorities.

Initially, the FFEM supported the creation of the park by financing its biodiversity component: ecological inventory, management plan, ecotourism development, infrastructure (visitor center, museum), etc. This exemplary dynamic was built through consultation with local communities, leading to the park’s official establishment in 2004.

Thanks to this collaboration, emblematic species such as the Barbary sheep, Cuvier’s gazelle, and the crested porcupine have been reintroduced into their natural habitats. These conservation efforts are now led by the local populations themselves, supported through innovative silvopastoral management agreements.