Auclair, Laurent (1995) Forestry Commons in the Morocco High Atlas

Conference: Presented at "Reinventing the Commons," the fifth annual conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Bodoe, Norway, May 24-28, 1995.

Abstract: "This paper gives details of the problematics, and defines the issues, in the area of the management of forestry commons in the Maghreb. It then goes on the describe the management methods of forestry commons (control of access, division of resources, development) in an enclosed valley in the Moroccan High Atlas mountains: the Ait Bou Gmex area. We put especial emphasis on the negative consequences, from an environmental point of view (deforestation) of the process of communal deregulation, which is becoming more widespread, and frequently leads to free access to resources. Finally, we underline the necessity of supporting community structures in order to be able to create policies capable of guaranteeing forestry renewal."