The argan tree packland: a rangeland characteristic of Moroccan arid and semiarid zones

The review of the agropastoral activities tied to the argan tree forest/parkland shows that this endemic species of south west Morocco plays a major role in the daily life of people in this arid land. The argan tree park is at present at the heart of debates on conservation problems, as the axis of an agrarian and sylvopastoral system. Traditional uses are many, mainly pastoral and fruit production (oil). The efforts to be developed must reconcile the short and medium-term productive and economic benefits of the livestock farming systems and long-term resource conservation objectives, within a framework of participative undertakings.