The thuriferous juniper at the centre of debates

Marrakech is hosting from 30 April to 04 May the 5th edition of the international symposium on the thuriferous juniper, organised by the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Hassan II University and the Ben M'sik Faculty of Sciences, as well as the High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification. Located in the heights between 1,700 and 3,400 m of the High Atlas, as well as in the Middle Atlas, the thuriferous juniper forests constitute an exceptional forest ecosystem (HCEFLCD). The tree withstands extreme climatic conditions and skeletal soils and is considered the upper limit of vegetation in high mountains. Despite the importance of this ecosystem, it remains subject to practices such as wood cutting for heating and overgrazing exceeding the capacities of these forests and thus inducing an irreversible ecological imbalance. "To this end, th…