The national "forest cities" competition aims to reward cities that have policies and actions aimed at the preservation, enhancement, and expansion of urban and peri-urban forests.
The urban commune of Tangier won the 1st prize in the national "forest cities" competition for the Tangier-Tetouan region, announced the secretary general of the High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification (HCEFLCD), Abderrahim Houmy, on Wednesday in Tangier.
During a seminar organised by the Regional Directorate of Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification of the Rif, on the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Forests under the theme "Forests, climate, climate change", the prize was awarded by the Wali of the Tangier-Tetouan region, Mohamed El Yaakoubi, to the president of the urban commune of Tangier, Fouad El Omari.
This recognition is justified in particular by the strong involvement of the Tangier municipality in the enhancement and development of urban forests, its well-maintained reception facilities, and the cleanliness of its sites, in addition to its partnership dynamic, specifies an HCEFLCD document containing the assessments of the competition jury, which visited the communities in question and evaluated their applications.
This first prize also goes to the commune of El Argoub (Tawarta III forest), which, according to the jury, presents very visible greenery in a Saharan environment, and thus appears as the only green space in the area highly frequented by visitors, as well as to the recreational forest of the commune of Bouskoura (276 ha), considered the only green lung of the city of Casablanca, which has maintained reception facilities, regular cleanliness, and a partnership dynamic for the conservation of this space.
Regarding the 2nd prize, it is awarded to the municipality of M'diq, which is making a considerable effort in terms of enhancing its urban and peri-urban forests, the jury explains, noting that this 2nd position also goes to the urban commune of Kénitra and the municipality of Ifrane, which is considered a forest city par excellence.
The jury notes, however, the lack of signage and recreational activities related to environmental awareness and education at the level of the urban commune of Kénitra, while the municipality of Ifrane requires the implementation of environmental awareness and education actions to support and enhance the efforts made by local actors.
As for the 3rd prize, it was awarded to 6 urban communes, namely Bab Boudir, Larache, Laaouinat, Dayet Aoua, Bensmim, and Timahdite.
Also, two forests, falling under the Tangier-Tetouan region, were labelled after meeting the criteria set by the jury, including cleanliness, facilities, safety, renewal, and accessibility. These are the Perdicaris forest at the level of the urban commune of Tangier and that of Kodiat Teyfour, falling under the municipality of M'diq.
The other labelled forests at the national level are Tawarta III (commune of El Argoub), Bouskoura (commune of Bouskoura), Saknia (commune of Kénitra), the Val d'Ifrane (municipality of Ifrane), Laqliaa (commune of Agadir Ait Melloul), Laaouinat (commune of Jerada), and the Bab Boudir forest (commune of Bab Boudir), the document notes.
Regarding the forests not eligible for the label, they concern the Gouraud cedar and Moudmame sites, the Dayet Aoua reception forest, the Larache forest, and the Timahdine site, the jury notes, calling on these sites to implement communication and environmental awareness actions, to develop reception infrastructure, and to prepare a development plan in order to be labelled.
The jury is composed of representatives from the Ministries of the Interior, Urban Planning and National Territory Planning, and the Environment, as well as the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, the HCEFLCD, and the National Institute of Urban Planning (Inau).
This meeting took place in the presence of the governor of Chefchaouen, the presidents of the urban and rural communities of the Tangier-Tetouan region, and local actors and civil society.
