55 MARTINDALE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE Overharvesting medicinal and aromatic plants in rural Moroccan communities Tessa Dougan Morocco is a biodiverse nation providing a rich source of medicinal and aromatic plants that contribute to health care of and income for rural communities. Unfortunately, collection of the plants is currently done chiefly through unsustainable foraging practices. This article analyzes the impact of these practices on rural economies and offers solutions for better harvesting and business practices. Introduction Morocco is in the Mediterranean Basin and has a wide-ranging geography of mountains, valleys, plains, and coastal areas that allows for a diverse mixture of flora and fauna (Taleb, 2017). The Mediterranean Basin is recognized as the third most richly endowed region in the world for endemic plant species; with more than 10,000 endemic species, it ranks just behind the tropical rainforests of the Andes and the Sundiac region of Southeast Asia in terms of biodiversity (Mittermeier et al., 2004). High levels of biodiversity are important for healthy, functioning ecosystems wherein species’ connectedness and abundance increase resilience by reducing the impact of stressors, such as drought and disease, by spreading them among species. Along with that resilience, a higher variety of species increases the likelihood of plants with pharmacological qualities (Relyea & Ricklef, 2018). Among the unique flora of Morocco is a rich concentration of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). Medicinal plants are those containing chemical compounds with pharmacological properties for humans. Aromatic plants are those used in cosmetics; as essential oils; or in food as oil, flavoring, or spice. In Morocco, there are more than 4200 species and subspecies of vascular plants; 22% are endemic. Of those species, 800 are used medicinally or as aromatics. These plants are used by rural communities for health care or are sold for profit to retailers and exported. Loss of biodiversity is a growing concern for Morocco. Threats from climate change lead to drought; and human influence, such as overharvesting and habitat destruction, plays a significant role in threatening vulnerable species. Greater global market demands for MAPs lead to overharvesting and unsustainable foraging practices that put species at risk (Bouiamrine et al., 2017). The International Union for Conservation of Nature has developed the Red List of Threatened Species, which has identified Morocco as a high-priority site for conservation, specifically in the Atlas and Rif mountain ranges, with many species classified as critically endangered (Rankou et al., 2015). The loss of endemic species and other important MAPs threatens traditional health care for many rural Moroccans. Folk medicine, also known as traditional medicine, herbal medicine, or indigenous pharmacopeia, is a centuries-old practice in the rural communities of Morocco (El-Hilaly et al., 2003). Rural communities and indigenous tribes have little access to Western medicine and rely on herbal medicine as their primary source of health care (Bouiamrine et al., 2017). According to the World Health Organization (2023, January 30), over 80% of the world is partially or entirely reliant on indigenous pharmacopeia as a form of health care. In rural communities in Morocco, multiple generations, including extended families, often live in a single household. In these households, the eldest woman acts as the head of the family and is the inheritor of many generations of traditional ecological knowledge of medicinal plants (Lamrani-Alaoui & Hassikou, 2018). Although the head woman is responsible for passing traditional ecological knowledge on to the younger generations to help ensure the practice continues, many tribes also have herbalist healers and witch doctors who have this knowledge (Taleb, 2017); they know how to identify plants, what function they serve, how to prepare and utilize them, and where to find them naturally. This knowledge is not science based but rather culture based, from centuries of experience. Even so, many of these plants have been scientifically proven to have healing properties and are functional as a form of health care. Over generations, Moroccan doi:10.18275/pbe-v042-009
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