Environmental Consequences of Local Conflict in Morocco

Neighboring, social, and economic competiveness could generate armed or social conflicts generally caused by tendency of hegemony, scarcity, and sharing of natural resources. Impact on the environment could be physical, chemical, or social during and post conflict. They could also be unavoidable impacts or deliberate by one of the parties. Most of the impacts on the environment are negative, though some positive impact could be recorded. Social conflicts are often associated with the sharing and management of natural resources. The issue of water stands for the leading cause of social conflict in Morocco. The transition from traditional to modern management of this resources has generated different social conflicts that were managed by new legislation of water. Other conflicts facing Morocco deal with his maritime borders with Spain. In this chapter, focus is made on the impacts of different conflicts experienced by Morocco since the last century and addresses the management actions conducted in this respect.