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Fishing for a solution

January 6, 2015

A fish breeding center at a lake in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains is meant to boost dwindling populations and help local communities secure their livelihoods through increased fishing and tourism.

https://p.dw.com/p/1EFUR
Teaser Marokko Atlasfisch ohne Logo
Image: Julia Henrichmann

Morocco's Atlas Mountains - A Troubled Region

Project goal: boosting alternative sources of income through fishing and tourism and building a national center of excellence for climate change adaptation measures.

Size: More than 50 families at the lake are expected to benefit from catching fish and increased tourism. Currently, 40 officials are being trained in funding environment projects.

Investment: Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) is investing two million Euros in the center of excellence.

Life is hard in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. Residents struggle with extreme weather conditions and barren land on a daily basis. Sometimes, it rains heavily while at other times there is no precipitation at all for weeks on end. That makes it difficult for farmers to count on a good harvest each year. In search of an additional income, many have taken up fishing, much like their ancestors did, at the country’s largest lake, Bin-el-Ouidane located at an altitude of 1,000 meters. With help from Germany’s development aid agency, GIZ, the fishermen have set up a cooperative to raise their living standards through the breeding and selling of fish. At the same time, officials in the environment ministry in the capital, Rabat, are being trained in raising international funds for climate protection programs. A national center of excellence for climate change adaptation is also in the works.

A film by Julia Henrichmann