Smir Lagoon (Northern Morocco) and its surroundings : an environmental management approach

Abstract

The environs of Smir Lagoon comprise a patchwork of coastal habitats including sand dunes, saline marshlands and watercourses. Recent development in the vicinity has generated a shift in the dynamics of physical systems and biological communities of the area. Much of the environmental impact derives from the construction of a dam at Oued Smir, the construction of residential and tourist accommodation on the beach and dunal area and from the discharge of wastewater into the sea. Sand dune systems on the Smir seafront were subject to attrition and loss of foredune mass as a consequence of interception of sediment by small-scale timber constructions on the beach. This change in dunal dynamics is being reflected in structural and compositional shifts in plant communities. The plant communities in the area were all characterized by the superimposition of a suite of opportunistic species on the original climax vegetation as a consequence of the availability of habitat-space vacated through direct or indirect disturbance. Analysis of dipteran fauna indicated a high proportion of generalist species suggesting the gradual replacement of specialist forms by a broad-spectrum assemblage. Avifaunal diversity was high, consistent with the function of the lagoon as a staging post along an important migration route.