The classification of continental habitats in Morocco proposed in this work constitutes a first systematic formalization of a typological reference framework harmonized at the national scale. It is grounded in the conceptual framework of EUNIS (European Nature Information System), a classification system for natural, semi-natural, and anthropogenic habitats covering European terrestrial and marine environments. Developed by the European Environment Agency, the EUNIS typology pursues a dual objective: to standardize habitat descriptions in order to ensure spatial comparability and to support biodiversity monitoring schemes and conservation policies.
However, the direct transfer of this framework to the North African context encounters major biogeographical and ecological limitations. The present typology therefore undertakes a reasoned adaptation of the EUNIS framework, based on consideration of Morocco’s climatic, geomorphological, and phytogeographical specificities. In particular, it incorporates arid and Saharan habitats that have no strict equivalents in the European reference system (argan woodlands, arid and Saharan steppes, formations dominated by thuya, Acacia spp. or Euphorbia spp., oases, chotts and desert sebkhas). It also takes into account structuring geomorphological units (graras, regs, ergs, wadi beds), as well as the major vegetation units described for Morocco by Ionesco and Sauvage (1962), whose physiognomic and ecological significance remains decisive in landscape organization.
The typology is based on a nested hierarchical structure. The first level corresponds to major environment types (Level 1, referred to as the highest level of description). Each Level 1 unit is subdivided into Level 2 units, which are themselves divided into Level 3 units. This graduated structuring progressively increases the degree of descriptive precision and refines the ecological characterization of habitats.
Within the scope of the present essay, the hierarchy does not extend beyond the third level. At lower levels, discriminating criteria become more specialized and draw upon conceptual frameworks that do not always benefit from scientific consensus. In particular, the definition of finer units could rely on a phytosociological approach. Although this approach provides a rigorous theoretical basis, its application often remains challenging in operational contexts, due to its technical complexity and its relative difficulty of appropriation by a broader audience of stakeholders, particularly managers and field practitioners. At this stage, the authors have therefore favored a consultative approach, leaving open the possibility of further refinement based on feedback and the input of managers.
The classification distinguishes 11 major environment types, whose degree of resolution varies according to the state of available knowledge and existing literature. It builds upon the Moroccan phytosociological tradition while adopting a structure compatible with international standards. In its current form, this proposal constitutes an operational reference framework for the identification and mapping of Morocco’s continental habitats. It demonstrates satisfactory internal coherence and defensible conceptual robustness, and provides a methodological foundation capable of evolving toward finer levels of precision as knowledge advances and scientific consensus is consolidated.
Réf. Sghir Taleb M. & Fennane M., 2025 - Essai de classification des habitats continentaux du Maroc (niveaux hiérarchiques supérieurs et moyens). Université Mohammed V de Rabat, travaux de l’Institut Scientifique, série Générale, n° 10, 122 p.
Posted by Jean-Paul Peltier.