Coastal dune ecosystems of the Moroccan Atlantic coast are among the most threatened environments of the western Mediterranean basin, yet the ecological preferences of their constituent psammophilous flora remain poorly documented. Using the ecological profile method, corrected frequencies, species and descriptor entropy, mutual information and ecological barycentres were calculated for three environmental descriptors, distance to the tidal fluctuation zone, topographic position and soil organic matter content, applied to a presence–absence matrix of 53 vascular taxa across 123 plots distributed among three dune facies. Of the total taxa inventoried, 41 were retained as ecologically active. Topography and soil organic matter emerged as the most efficient descriptors, both exceeding the 5% activity threshold. Cross-referencing of ecological groups identified three phytoecological assemblages: characteristic psammophytes of embryonic dunes, species of the primary foredune and species of the enriched backdune. The dominance of intermediate ecological amplitudes and the convergence of introduced species towards organic matter-rich backdune conditions signal chronic anthropogenic disturbance. This study provides a quantitative characterisation of psammophilous species ecological preferences and phytoecological assemblages along the coast–inland gradient of the Haouzia Bay SBEI, constituting an operational reference framework for targeted conservation and restoration management of this threatened coastal site.

This study aims to quantify aboveground carbon at risk in semi-arid mountain forests of the Moroccan High Atlas and to test whether composite vulnerability is higher in structurally dense stands than in open stands. A 30-year Landsat time series (1995–2025) was analysed using LandTrendr applied...

North African forest ecosystems provide essential services while facing unprecedented pressures from climate change and anthropogenic activities. This chapter examines the vulnerability of seven emblematic Moroccan forest species using species distribution modeling (MaxEnt) to project current and future (2070) distributions under optimistic and pessimistic scenarios. The authors identify key bioclimatic drivers and reveal extensive habitat contractions ranging from 15% to 100%. Critically vulnerable species face complete habitat elimination under severe warming, while widespread species experience catastrophic losses exceeding 94% under pessimistic scenarios. Although new suitable areas emerge for some species (<12.5%), these gains remain insufficient to offset projected losses, signaling increased fragmentation and ecosystem degradation. This chapter emphasizes the urgent need to integrate climate projections into conservation planning, adaptive management and restoration strategies to enhance resilience and safeguard ecosystem services across this region.

Mediterranean forest issues are increasingly framed through the lens of governance. International reports often portray forest degradation as a structural feature of so-called developing regions, particularly in Africa and South America, promoting participatory governance as a normative response to environmental crises. This paper critically examines forest governance in Mediterranean contexts by questioning the modern representation of nature underlying dominant policy frameworks. Governance principles- participation, transparency, sustainability, equity, and accountability- are analyzed through the notion of a loss of the object, understood as the shift from an appropriated to an administered nature. This procedural normativity reveals conceptual and political limits that weaken the analytical relevance of governance models, especially in the southern Mediterranean. Participation is further examined as a dispositif marked by hybridized social solidarities and expanding power relations that obscure the socio-political nature of forest conflicts.