Coastal Health of the Moroccan Mediterranean Coast: An Ecosystem Perspective for Coastal Management

Abstract

Coastal health assessment and diagnosis are important tools for decision-making and coastal management. In this paper, the concept of ecosystem health, which uses medical terminology to define the state of coastal health, was applied to examine and diagnose the state of the physical coastal systems of 120 coastal sites along the Moroccan Mediterranean coastline. Based on this assessment approach, five categories are defined: (1) “Good Health”, with two subdivisions: (1a) “Health Warning” and (1b) “Surface Wounds”; (2) “Minor Injury”; (3) “Major Injury”; (4) “On Life Support” and (5) “Deceased”. According to the results obtained, 38 sites (32%) were classified in the “Good Health” category, with 35 sites (29%) in the “Health Warning” and 11 (9%) in the “Surface Wounds” subdivisions; 14 sites (12%) in each of the “Minor Injury” and “Major Injury” categories; no sites (0%) in the “On Life Support” category; and 8 sites (7%) in the “Deceased” category. The considerable percentage of sites in the alert and lower categories highlights the level of degradation and ongoing loss of coastal ecosystems along the Moroccan Mediterranean coast due to the significant impact of anthropogenic processes and inadequate coastal management practices, highlighting the current degradation of its physical state and its capacity to function naturally, i.e., its ability to respond to various present and future environmental changes. The results and proposals presented in this paper offer important perspectives for the governance, preservation, and management of coastal systems and are very useful in limiting and preventing the degradation of coastal systems linked to natural processes and the development of future anthropogenic activities. In addition, they stress the importance of protecting sites classified as “healthy” and restoring those classified as “alert” or “unhealthy”, using sound management strategies based on reliable scientific data.