06 May Student excursion to Morocco

20 RPTU students, most of whom are studying for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees of education in Biology, took part in a excursion to Morocco in April 2024. The aim of the trip was to learn more about biodiversity and its conservation while experiencing the effects of climate change first-hand. The excursion was organised and led by the SaliDraa team.

After the meeting in Marrakech, the first stop was Setti Fatma in the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas Mountains. Together with the non-governmental organisation Zaatot, we visited the local Barbary macaque population and learned about the conflicts between monkeys and humans and the need for conservation measures and education in the region.

After crossing the High Atlas Mountains, the excursion continued to the Draa river basin, the research area of the SaliDraa project. In the vicinity of the towns of Ouarzazate and Zagora, we learnt more about primary and secondary salinisation, water scarcity and desertification. The direct experience of climate change in the dry oases and the visit to the green belt of Zagora helped to understand the serious problems of the changing climate conditions in the region.

The excursion continued towards the coastal region of Agadir and the Souss Massa National Park. The protection of endangered species such as the northern bald ibis and the breeding and reintroduction projects for gazelles and antelopes such as oryx and addax showed us positive developments towards the revitalisation of Moroccan nature. After nine interesting days in the south of Morocco, we arrived back in Marrakech with many new insights, experiences and newly acquired knowledge.