1. FAO/GEF project Adaptative Management
and Monitoring of Oasis ecosystems in
Maghreb (2017/2020)
The Maghreb strategy for the oases
conservation : towards an
international strategy
Land & Water Days – FAO – Cairo
31/03 to 05/04 2019
Patrice Burger – Chair CARI and cofounder of RADDOPatrice Burger – Chair CARI and cofounder of RADDO

2. Who we are ?
RADDO (CSOs international network) dedicated to Oasis
ecosystems safeguard and developpement ( including
population and culture )
JOHANNESBURG
2002
MADRID, 2008
DOHA,
ANKARA, 2015
MARSEILLE,
2012
PARIS, 2015
MARRAKECH
2016, GENEVA
2008
Partnership with FAO
Tunisia, Morocco,
Mauritania….
• STANDING FOR DRYLANDSSTANDING FOR DRYLANDS
AND OASISAND OASIS
• ACTION ON GROUND LEVELACTION ON GROUND LEVEL
• ADVOCATING FOR PUBLICADVOCATING FOR PUBLIC
POLICIESPOLICIES
• WHISTLEBLOWERSWHISTLEBLOWERS

3. Global Risk Forum 2010 - Davos
41% of the land are drylands ; 10
to 20 % are hihgly degraded
Asia is the most affected 1.4
billion
Africa has 74 % of its land
affected North America,
Australia and
Europe are also affected
DRYLANDS ARE MORE VULNERABLE
DRYLANDS ARE MORE VULNERABLE
Population growth
Water stress
Drought
Drylands : an underrated global concern

4. 4
Desertification andDesertification and
its Landdegradationits Landdegradation
processesprocesses
The nature of desertificationThe nature of desertification
is thatis that althoughalthough each place
is unique andand
desertification is alwaysdesertification is always
contextual,contextual, the physicalthe physical
processes and humanprocesses and human
behaviourbehaviour that cause it arethat cause it are
usuallyusually similar.similar.
 soil erosionsoil erosion
 soil fertility reductionsoil fertility reduction
 biodiversity lossbiodiversity loss
 wild firewild fire
 salinisationsalinisation
 land abandonmentland abandonment
 poorly conducted irrigationpoorly conducted irrigation
 littoralisationlittoralisation
 drought /flooddrought /flood
Going somewhere ?
DEGRADED LANDDEGRADED LAND
LEAD to DEGRADEDLEAD to DEGRADED
LIVES !LIVES !

5. Why drylands are so important ?
• By their surface of total available land (40 to 44%)
• 1/3 of the world population hosted in drylands
• 4% of the cultivated systems in the world
• 30% of the international biodiversity
• 50% to 70 % of the global livestock
Maghreb = 70% of the land are drylands (90% in
Mauritania )
CP MENA DELP –27 juin 2013

6. Oasis the specific agroecosystem born
from adaptation to drylands …
And spread all over the world
Silk, gold, slaves, trade and cultureSilk, gold, slaves, trade and culture

7. Oasis a drylands tailored system for coping with
aridity recognized as Globally important
Agriculture Heritage System
• Intensively cultivated area
on three floors/levels
• Located and often isolated
in dry and arid areas
• Built and organized around
water management and
scarce natural ressources
• Created by Human
• A tiny equilibrium based on
social, ecological and
economical strict
constructions
• A shelter, a fallback point, a
place of exchange and food
production, a stop, a
symbol …

8. Oasis ecosystems are under high treath
• Rainfall variations
• Decrease of water tables
• Outmigration
• Palm tree desease
(bayoud, red charançons)
• Sand invasion
• Low access to market and
low prices
• Land division by inheritage
and lack of land reform
• Uncontrolled pumping of
water
• Cultural and know how
losses…
• ….

9. Any future for these ecossytemsAny future for these ecossytems
and population ?and population ?

10. Oasis offer answers to present global stakes
 global warming : oasis have history of adapattion and can
contribute to carbon sequestration trhough sound agriculture
 Biodversity fall down : oasis are protected reservoirprotected reservoir of
biodiversity
 land degradation, desertification and drought : oasis can
contribute to land degradtion neutrality ( SDG 15 o 15.3)
 food security in drylands : oasis held part of the local suplylocal suply
aand expertise
 Water shortage : oasis have expertise in water socialwater social
engineeriengineering and management and water savingwater saving
 Agriculture transitionAgriculture transition : expertise in: expertise in ecological intensificationecological intensification
 Out migration : providing income for settlement ofsettlement of
populationpopulation
 Experience ofExperience of resilient ecosystems and communities ( 2000resilient ecosystems and communities ( 2000

11. 8,9±0,4
2,6±0,5
2,9±0.8
0,9±0,5
Average Values pour 2004-2013 (Le Quéré et al., 2014)
Oasis Agriculture can contribute to increase
C Sink
 The FLUXES (per year)
Soils
= 1500-2400
(0-1m)
Vegetation=450-650
Atmosphere=830
~800
Soils top 0-30 cm
Gt C ou Milliards de t
 The SINK ?
Selon JL Chotte
IRD
OASISOASIS

12. Healthy oasis ecosystems respond to the SDGs

13. Anticipat
e
& Plan
Interpret
& Adjust
A level balance = neutrality = no net loss
New
degradation
Reversed past
degradation
Gains
Losses
LDN
For each land
type
Avoid or Reduce new
degradation via
Sustainable Land
Management (SLM)
Reverse past degradation
via restoration,
rehabilitation, reclamation
LDN “a state whereby the amount
and quality of land resources
necessary to support ecosystem
functions and services and enhance
food security remain stable or
increase within specified temporal
and spatial scales and ecosystems”
Monitor indicators of
LDN through time
bas
elin
e

14. In the drylands, eg Maghreb and Machrek,
Oasis are part of the solutions,
• A considerable advantage in
about 80 % dry region
• A food production contributing
to food security
• Optimisation of land surface
through the « oasis effect»« oasis effect»
• Sustainable management of natural ressources
( water, land,)
•Collective management of water ( social
engineering)
• livestock – including pastoralism - integration
• Resilent agriculture through « oasis« oasis
breathing »breathing »
• endogen biodiversity
• settelement of population with agriculture
employement
•Family farming

15. Le projet DEV OASIS est mené dans le cadre du programme PAP ENPARD
Objective : change of policyObjective : change of policy
and/or its implementationand/or its implementation
Means :Means :
tactic and tools for influencetactic and tools for influence
AdvocacyAdvocacy
TargetsTargets
Policy and economicPolicy and economic
Decision makersDecision makers
Advocacy : how it works ?

16. Striving for an official and specific recognition of oases
as vulnerable ecosystems and heritage to be preserved at
United Nations level
3 specific objectives for a long term strategy
 Recognition of oases as vulnerable
ecosystems and heritage to be preserved within
the three Rio Conventions
 Development of interlinked advocacy among
the issues covered by the three Rio Conventions
 Linking with the Sustainable Development
Goals process ( goals and targets )

17. www.raddo.org
• Production and dissemination of specific
positioning notes
• Based on current achievements in the field of
policy ( eg ANDZOA Morroco)
• of oases for humanity
• The new findings of rresearchesearch and the goodgood
practicespractices
• Technical support that shows the multi-use ofthe multi-use of
waterwater (eg khettaras/foggaras..)
• Writing and disseminating an Oasesases
declarationdeclaration for endorsement by VIPs,
countries and international organizations
.
The strategy is based on increasing the knowledge both
in terms of problems and solutions expecting public
policies
BASED ON
• their structuring role in the sustainable development of drylands,
• their vulnerability to climate change, desertification and land degradation
• their assets for the development of dryland regions
• their contribution to local food security, to job creation and population
stabilization, etc.)

18. Convention to Combat
Desertification
(UNCCD), New Delhi,
India 7-18 October
2019
• RecognitionRecognition of oasis
ecosystems as
vulnerable
• side eventside event and
advocacy during COP
based on testimonies
• Accompanying the
national focal in order
ton enter the oasis
issue into the
negociationsnegociations
• Joint mention of Oasesmention of Oases
as vulnerableas vulnerable
ecosystems andecosystems and
solutions to climatesolutions to climate
change by the Maghreb
countries and the Sahel
region. Participation in
the UNFCCC, end of
2019: Follow-up of the
Sustainable Oasis
Initiative; Dissemination
of documents to
identified targets;
networking;
Accompanied focal
points to push
departmental officials to
bring the oasis issue into
UNFCCC discussions
and negotiations.
• UNCCD.
Proposal for an "official
initiative" on oases and
biodiversity on the occasion
of the COP 15 of 2020,
Advocacy and launching of
the official Oases and
Biodiversity Initiative, at the
COP - CBD end of 2020.
Highlighting expertise and
positioning notes with
identified targets; Co-
organization and participation
in launching the official
initiative on Oases and
Biodiversity within the CBD.
COP 25 UNFCCC
Climate change (11
to 22 november
2019 in Chile )
COP 15 Convention on
Biological Diversity
(CBD) 2020 in Beijing,
China and revision of
the post-2020 CBD
Strategic Plan

19. COP14
UNCD –
New Dehli
On the basis of
existing
research and
advocacy
documents
produced:
production of
position papers
related to the 3
conventions
.
Atelier
plaidoyer
régional
projet
FEM/FAO
FITS
(MAROC)
International advocacy road map : 2019
Side event
RADDO /
key
countries
Meeting of the national focal points of the three rio Conventions +
régional group of Nort Africa
Desertif’Actio
n 2019
(Burkina
Faso)
Production of
advocacy / com
media (video,
computer
graphics, etc.)
for use during
events
COP14
CCNUCC –
Chili
Specific
messages
about oases;
Invitation of
National
Focal Points
of the
Conventions.
Side
event
Conférence
FAO-
Région
NENA
(Land and
water days
2019)
Identifications
of
ambassadeur
s in support
to the
advocacy
Links with the national advocacies

20. Morroco (Akka)
cooperative building,
composting, packaging
for the dattes,
marketing…
Its possible !

21. Morroco (Aglaguel )
innovating
seedlings
techniques and
income generation
for the women
Its possible !

22. Morroco (Icht) protect and
multiply local « beldis » seeds
and test marketing from local
varieties
Its possible !

23. Le projet DEV OASIS est mené dans le cadre du programme PAP ENPARD
« Stand for the oasis, they are our first and last
borders that prevent us from many upcoming
dangers … »
D’a17 Strasbourg Thank you foryour attention
www.raddo.org