Impacts of climate change and population growth in a multiethnic oasis environment: the case of the Ziz Valley, Southeast Morocco

Mohammed Messouli, Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech (UCAM)
Abdelkrim Ben Salem, Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech (UCAM)
Bahia Ghallabi, Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech (UCAM)
Saloua Rochdane, Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech (UCAM)
Fatime Zahra Hammadi, Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech (UCAM)
Mohammed Yacoubi-Khebiza, Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech (UCAM)

The mechanisms by which individuals and societies respond to climate variability can provide valuable insights into how societies might adapt to the impacts of future climate change. It is proposed that links between individuals, often described as social capital, are important for the resilience of societies to the impacts of climate variability. The common objective of the different anthropological research initiatives in the Ziz catchment was to link social and cultural developments to changes in the natural environment. Especially the water scarcity of the recent years has affected human behaviour and the strategies of the population to cope with the droughts. To achieve our goals, special attention was given to land- and water-management systems, the complex system of migration, the demographic development of the region as the key driving force to scenario creation, and the tourism sector as an important element of modernisation and source of income beyond agriculture.