Community Outcry Over Tree Removal in Marrakech
The city of Marrakech is currently abuzz with anger and frustration from its residents following the recent removal of several historic trees in various locations across the city. The local authorities faced severe criticism after the cutting down of two mature trees on November 18 Street, which had provided shade and greenery throughout the year. This event is part of a troubling trend, as it follows the previous deforestation of trees in the former Bab Doukkala garden and several others in the Essil garden on Allal Fassi Street. Over the past few decades, the green landscape of the red city has significantly diminished, making way for concrete and asphalt.
Social media has been a platform for a swift backlash against these actions. A dedicated page advocating for wildlife protection in Morocco condemned the tree removal as a "crime against nature and the city of Marrakech and its people," highlighting a complete lack of civic responsibility and civilized behavior from some local council officials. The page emphasized that this is not a new occurrence but part of a long series of similar actions that have taken place over the years. Local residents still remember the uprooting of trees in the heart of the Gueliz district in the late 1990s, as well as the removal of trees that once beautified Mohammed V Street, all without justifiable reasons.
Engineer Salima Belmakhdem, commenting on the incident via the "Morocco Environment 2050" movement's page, described the cutting down of these two magnificent trees as a cold-hearted act. "Decades of growth that served both humans and wildlife, as well as the environment, vanished in mere minutes. I won’t say much more, as I have addressed this issue for years, but I must assert that those who ordered the cutting have committed a crime against the community, the city, and future generations, violating Moroccan law in the process," she stated. She urged the local population to take responsibility in this matter; otherwise, they too would be complicit in the crime against society.
As reported by akhbarona.com.
