RESCOM: developing the ecotourism potential of Khenifiss National Park in Morocco

The Mediterranean Biodiversity Consortium, represented by the Conservatoire du littoral and Tour du Valat, was in Morocco last week to support the Agence Nationale des Eaux et Forêts in promoting the natural and cultural heritage of the Khenifiss National Park.

The programme included visits to key tourism sites within the park, as well as workshops with all partners and local stakeholders (ANEF, the Khenifiss Environnement association, the commune of Akhfennir, the National Institute of Fisheries Research, and cooperatives of fishermen and salt producers). These activities aimed to explore potential landscape developments and tourism activities that could strengthen the attractiveness of this exceptional territory, where land meets sea.

Khenifiss National Park is one of the RESCOM project’s pilot sites on Nature-based Solutions in the Mediterranean, led by the Consortium and supported by the FFEM and the MAVA Foundation. The activities planned in Morocco will contribute to local development while preserving the park’s unique biodiversity. Located in southern Morocco, Khenifiss National Park is characterized by a diversity of ecosystems (coastal strip, lagoon, and desert areas), which constitute its major natural richness. A Ramsar Site and an Important Bird Area, it provides a key refuge for numerous migratory bird species.