Erosion Project Morocco I:Development of the Planning Instrument  “Erosion Evaluation and Prognosis” for Road Infrastructure

In the context of the increased wor-sening of the climatic conditions in Morocco, a drastic increase of longer heat waves and dry periods and at the same time more intensive events of heavy rain are predicted. As a direct consequence, the erosion threat in Morocco continues to increase dramatically. With the development of the planning instrument, damage cause by water erosion (agriculture, retaining dams, floods, damage to infrastructure) should be predicted, and targeted protection measures planned. 

Aside from the GIZ (German Society 

for International Cooperation), the project partners are the National Agronomic Research Institute (INRA Morocco) the Moroccan department of motorways as well as the program the KfW Bank developed for Morocco (Maghreb), “Integrated Water Mana-gement.”

The completion and adaptation of the planning instrument “Erosion Prog-nosis” will make the practical im-plementation of nationwide erosion prevention projects reproducible and extensive for the Moroccan partners, as, for example:

in the area of watershed management, anti-desertification projects, the re-purposing of low-yield land as meadowland or the targeted refore-station of areas in high danger of erosion in the atlas. The project requirement of “Serviceability as a Model” should make the later trans-feral of the planning instrument to other comparable regions in North Africa possible. The project is being bilaterally developed and implemen-ted together with the Moroccan side.