Since the beginning of the month, everything has been said about the fires that continue to ravage the forests of the Tangier-Tetouan region, and about their immediate or long-term consequences. Everything has been analysed, dissected, and scrutinised, with everyone offering their own explanations and conjectures. But while opinions diverge or clash, the same question haunts minds: why? A statement from the Ministry of the Interior, relayed yesterday by the MAP agency, reveals a rough outline of an answer between the lines. It points the finger at the greed of some and the irresponsibility of others.

According to this document, about 70 forest fires have been recorded in recent weeks in the region.

These fires, often of criminal origin, have been completely brought under control thanks to the commitment of the necessary human, material, and aerial resources, the same source adds.

Investigations have been opened by security services with a view to identifying the perpetrators of these criminal acts, some of whom have been arrested, the statement specifies.

Among these fires, the statement notes the fire that broke out on 17 July in Dar Chaoui in the prefecture of Tangier, which was brought under control on the 22nd of the month. It affected 140 hectares of vegetation, including 28 hectares of forest. According to the initial elements of the investigation, this fire is believed to be of criminal origin given the nature and spread of the fire. The perpetrator(s) are still being actively sought.

The second forest fire broke out on 20 July in Ain Lahcen in the province of Tetouan, covering an area of 30 hectares of vegetation, including 8 hectares of forest. This fire was brought under control two days later. Investigations conducted by security services led to the arrest of the alleged perpetrator of this fire.

In fact, forest fires are not only legion during heatwaves, but the analysis of their situation published by the High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification shows that over the last 50 years (1960-2009), nearly 12,912 fires have damaged 149,292 hectares of forest, an average of 2,986 hectares per year, with a maximum in 1983 (11,289 hectares) and a minimum in 2002 (593 hectares). This average annual area represents 0.05% of the country's total wooded area.

The number of fires and the areas burned in Moroccan forests are considered relatively high, given the country's very low afforestation rate (8%), the aridity of the climate, and the constraints making the reconstitution of wooded areas (reforestation, regeneration) extremely difficult. The damage that fires cause to the forest is therefore irreparable, and causing them is all the more criminal as the national afforestation rate is far below the optimal rate of 15 to 20% necessary for ecological and environmental balance.