Iriqui Excursion - Conservation of the desert

Conservation of the desert

Iriqui Excursions wishes by its activity to contribute to the development of the area of Mhamid and the desert. In this area of Morocco the persistent dryness during the 30 last years has forced the majority of the nomads give up their way of life.

The reinforcement of the borders and the problems between the people did not help in this already precarious situation. The lack of means and projects of people always accustomed to a simple life, free and close to nature also played a significant role in this process.

Towards the end of 1970, the desert counted to some 4000 nomads in this area, currently, there only remains around fifty families, living under the difficult conditions, and so the wandering way of life is now really threatened.

Fortunately the appearance of tourism allowed the development of another source of income, which still maintains these some families in their medium of origin.

The majority of the agencies offering stays in the desert come from the large cities in Morocco (Marrakech, Casablanca, etc...) or from abroad. They bring their own personnel and their own material. Alas this kind of tourism does not benefit the people at all from the area. Moreover, they are not especially concerned with protecting the environment, thus the desert and its inhabitants also undergo the harmful consequences of them (abandonment of waste, vehicles tracks, pollution etc...).

Iriqui Excursions, as a local project, wishes to promote tourism benefiting directly at the people originating in the desert. We work with people of the area who would show you the real nomadic way of life.

We can thus make discover at the tourists the desert in an authentic and respectful spirit of the environment.

The Sacred oasis of Oum Laalag is also a place which we wish protected from the aggressions of time and the man.

With a natural source of water, we endeavour revive and expand the plantations with various plant species.

The final goal is to make a natural reserve, a place of life in this threatened desert, where the vegetation, the animals and the men could benefit from a protected and preserved corner.

Currently, all benefits of our activity are invested in this project...

but 15 ha requires consequent means...

especially that our Oasis is located in full desert, far from all.

Our activity also enables us to help the nomads to maintain their way of life, and to educate the tourists with the problems of the desert and ecology.