Morocco - National Watershed Management

Report No. PIC1724 Project Name Morocco-National Watershed Management (@) Region Middle East and North Africa Sector Natural Resources Management Project ID MAPA5476 Borrower Kingdom of Morocco Implementing Agency Administration des Eaux et Forets et de la Conservation des Sols (AEFCS) Ministere de l'Agriculture et de la Mise en Valeur Agricole (MAMVA) Cite Administrative Rabat, Morocco Tel: 212.7.76.31.66 Fax: 212.7.76.44.46 Contact Mr. A. Hanan Director-General, AEFCS Date initial PID prepared March 1995 Date this update prepared February 1997 Projected appraisal date July 1998 Projected Board date July 1999 Background Morocco has redressed its macroeconomic imbalances and liberalized its economy providing a basis for healthy economic growth and rapid improvements in living standards, poverty reduction and environmental and natural resource management. A Bank supported project to reduce rural poverty is in the pipeline. The Government has also begun a Bank supported program to reduce soil erosion in watersheds and to improve the management of both the environment and water resources. A PHRD grant has been obtained for the development of an integrated water resource management strategy and another grant for the preparation of a national watershed management plan, both including elements for subsequent project preparation. The Study carried out under the latter grant is now completed and forms the basis for much of the preparatory work for this project. Watersheds up-stream from existing or planned dams cover about 20 M ha in Morocco. It is estimated that about one-quarter of this area needs treatment due to severe soil erosion which has already led to the loss of some 800 M m3 of water storage capacity out of a total 10 B m3 nominal storage capacity of existing dams. An additional 50 M m3 of water storage capacity is lost annually due to soil erosion and dam siltation, or 0.5w of the total dam capacity. About 35 percent of Morocco's 28 million population live in the mountainous regions of the watersheds, with many of these people, who are among the country's poorest, living in some of the most isolated mountain communities. Past watershed management efforts have had limited success due, inter  alia, to a top down approach and lack of involvement of the local populations, over costly methods permitting only the treatment of small areas not commensurate with the size of the problem in hand and erroneous diagnosis of the erosion process resulting in sub-optimal treatments. It is clear that a new approach is needed. The PHRD Watershed Management Study was therefore designed to draw lessons from past experience, to define a new approach and establish priorities. Project Objectives The principal objective is to improve land use and natural resources management in mountainous areas in order to better the living conditions and incomes of the local population, while reducing siltation in reservoirs and associated hydraulic infrastructures. The project would introduce the latest ideas and practices for participatory rural development and watershed conservation techniques. It is hoped that this project can serve as a pilot for future replication nation-wide. Project Description Given the innovative nature of the project, it is proposed that actions be initially concentrated on three priority watersheds selected to represent different mountainous areas namely: the Lakhdar, the M'soun and the Oued Ouergha watersheds. The project would have the following main components: (a) erosion control on public lands through mechanical and biological means; (b) soil conservation measures and erosion control on private and collective lands through land management techniques adapted to the land tenure situation; (c) support to priority applied research programs and to the implementation of an adaptive research program; (d) institutional and organizational development, taking into account the organizational recommendations of the Water Sector Strategy Study and including the provision of equipment, vehicles, training and technical assistance to allow the project team to test and implement the participatory approach and to monitor and evaluate the success or failure of the main project components. Project Cost and Financing 5. Total Project costs are estimated at US$27 million, with the Bank's loan tentatively placed at US$16 million. Project Implementation 6. Experience has shown that successful rural development and watershed management require the participation of the local populations. This can best be obtained through a large degree of decentralization of project activities. It is expected that there will be a project unit for each of the three watersheds, linked to the provincial authorities. At the central level the Forest Department (AEFCS) is presently the lead agency for watershed management, but other departments in the Ministry of Agriculture (e.g. Livestock, Extension Service) are also involved as are the Water Administration (AH) in the Public Works Ministry and the Department for Local Communities (DGCL) in the Ministry of Interior. Institutional arrangements will therefore be given particular attention during project preparation that are consistent with other Bank -2 -  activities affecting these areas. Project Sustainability 7. Participation of the local population is of key importance to project sustainability and its success. The project would therefore be based on a participatory approach aimed at involving the local population throughout the entire process, i.e. in the selection of priority activities and their implementation and in their operation and maintenance. The project is also consistent with the Government's contribution and commitment to improving management of the environment and the country's water resources allied with its economic and social strategy to alleviate poverty in remote areas. Rationale for Bank Involvement 8. Recent Bank experience in rural development and watershed management under the completed Loukkos, Fes-Karia-Tissa, and Middle Atlas projects, from the Forestry II project currently under implementation, as well as experience from similar projects in Tunisia and elsewhere in the world makes it uniquely placed to enable GOM to benefit from the lessons learned and "state of the art" approaches to the problem. These lessons include the need for a participatory approach, the development of economic activities for affected populations, and "soft" soil conservation techniques. The Bank is already engaged in the project through the PHRD Watershed Management Study, a first step in project preparation. The project is also consistent with the Bank's Water Sector Strategy which places substantial emphasis on reducing siltation of reservoirs and irrigation channels. Environmental Aspects 9. The project has been categorized as B for the purpose of the environmental assessment. Please see attached Annex. - 3 -  Contact Point: Mr. Harald Stier, Task Manager The World Bank 1818 H Street N.W. Washington D.C. 20433 Telephone No.: (202)473-2618 Fax No.: (202)522-1500 Note: This is information on an evolving project. Certain components may not necessarily be included in the final project. Processed by the Public Information Center week ending March 7, 1997 - 4 -  Annex Environmental Aspects The project objective is to improve land use and natural resources management in mountainous areas, mainly through better soil conservation, water management, erosion control, reforestation and range management. The project would therefore have a positive environmental impact and is categorized as "B" for the purpose of the environmental assessment. It would lead to a clear improvement in the agro-sylvo- pastoral management systems in mountain areas. It would reduce and, it is hoped, help reverse the degradation of forest and other vegetation which in turn would lead to less soil erosion and improve the natural habitat of wildlife. These positive effects don't exclude the need for vigilance in the planning of individual project interventions in order to limit any potential negative side-effects. - 5 -