International Cooperation

EPA Collaboration with Morocco

As the United States expands trade and investment ties under Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Environmental Cooperation Mechanisms (ECMs), it also seeks to protect the environment and promote sustainable development and management of natural resources.

For the past several years, EPA has been collaborating with Morocco on environmental governance, which began under the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). Initial work with Morocco focused on water pollution from the textile industry. EPA is now building upon this existing work.

The activities conducted in Morocco fall under the Building Strong Environmental Institutions and Legal Structures priority, one of EPA’s six International Priorities.

Activities

Officials from the Moroccan Departments of Environment and Water, developing the US-Morocco implementation plan.

In Morocco, EPA is working in three program areas:

Institutional and Policy Strengthening for Effective Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Laws, Including Natural Resource-Related Laws,
Development and Adoption of Sound Environmental Practices and Technologies, and
Environmental Education, Transparency, and Public Participation in Environmental Decision-Making and Enforcement.

EPA's Landscape Ecology Branch also developed several publications on landscape and land use change in Morocco. These documents may be downloaded here.

Regional Assessment of Landscape and Land Use Change in the Mediterranean Region, Morocco Case Study (1981–2003)
Locating Changes in Land Use from Long Term Remote Sensing Data in Morocco
Booming markets for Moroccan argan oil appear to benefit some rural households while threatening the endemic argan forest

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Partners

Moroccan Secretary of State in charge of Water, and Environment/Department of Environment (website under construction)	Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Commerce
Moroccan Ministry of Interior (text version)	Enforcement Royal Gendarmerie
U.S. State Department, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs	US Embassy Morocco
Moroccan Directorate of National Meteorology (website under construction)	Moroccan Basin Agencies (no website available)