Moroccan Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.) Fruits: Nutritional Value and Mineral Composition.

The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.), grown throughout the Mediterranean, produces edible fruit; as it is easily bruised, the sweet, reddish fruit is used mostly to prepare jams, marmalades and alcoholic beverages. As the genus is paraphyletic, phytochemical analysis can assist in defining the fruit composition with the species Arbutus unedo L. (A. unedo). Here we report on the carbohydrate, total sugar, protein, fat, fiber, ash, and mineral content of wild fruit, harvested from 45 specimens from five locations. The dominant nutrients were carbohydrates (78.2-84.8 g/100 g), total sugars (52.1-67.2 g/100 g) and dietary fiber (11.0-20.1 g/100 g). Other important nutrients supplied by A. unedo fruit include P, K, and Fe. The fruit was observed to contain health-promoting components providing 42 and 36%, of recommended daily allowance (RDA) for fiber and zinc, respectively, as well as iron and manganese, at levels exceeding minimum RDA. The free-sugar profile revealed high glucose followed by fructose content with minor amounts of sucrose (14, 11, and 6 g/100 g, respectively). Significant differences both between regions and within individuals were observed for several traits. The richness of fruit nutrients in A. unedo confers nutritional value and as such, a promising alternative fruit source.

Chemical Variability of Moroccan Myrtle Oil.

Thirty-three oil samples isolated from aerial parts of Myrtus communis L. harvested in seven localities, from Northern to Central Morocco, have been analyzed by combination of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The 33 compositions have been subjected to statistical analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Two groups have been differentiated on the basis of their myrtenyl acetate and α-pinene contents and each one was sub-divided in two sub-groups according to the contents of 1,8-cineole and linalool. The compositions of our 33 myrtle oil samples may be named as follow by their main components: sub-group IA (13/33): α-pinene/1,8-cineole/linalool; sub-group IB (6/33): 1,8-cineole/α-pinene; sub-group IIA (10/33): 1,8-cineole/myrtenyl acetate; sub-group IIB (4/33): myrtenyl acetate.

Impacts and social implications of landuse-environment conflicts in a typical Mediterranean watershed.

In coastal watersheds, services and landuse favour coastal tourism and urbanization, depriving rural upstream of infrastructure and attention. This unbalanced management leads to an intensification of socioeconomic changes that generate a structural heterogeneity of the landscape and a reduction in the livelihoods of the rural population. The incessant dissociation between the objectives of the stakeholders triggers landuse-environment-economy conflicts which threaten to mutate large-scale development programs. Here, we used multi-assessment techniques in a Mediterranean watershed from Morocco to evaluate the effects of landuse change on water, vegetation, and perception of the rural population towards environmental issues. We combined complementary vegetation indexes (NDVI and EVI) to study long-term landuse change and phenological statistical pixel-based trends. We assessed the exposure of rural households to the risk of groundwater pollution through a water analysis supplemented by the calculation of an Integrated Water Quality Index. Later, we contrasted the findings with the results of a social survey with a representative sample of 401 households from 7 villages. We found that rapid coastal linear urbanization has resulted in a 12-fold increase in construction over the past 35 years, to the detriment of natural spaces and the lack of equipment and means in rural areas upstream. We show that the worst water qualities are linked to the negative impact of anthropogenic activities on immediately accessible water points. We observe that rural households are aware of the existence and gravity of environmental issues but act confusedly because of their low education level which generates a weak capacity to understand cause and effect relationships. We anticipate the pressing need to improve the well-being and education of the population and synergistically correct management plans to target the watershed as a consolidated system. Broadly, stakeholders should restore lost territorial harmony and reallocate landuse according to a sustainable environment-socioeconomic vision.

Bridging the gap of perception is the only way to align soil protection actions.

Science is the seed of a decent life, with which we sow hope in the present and which we irrigate with the perfecting of good deeds. It is even crucial in the Mediterranean southern frontiers where the cultural erosion dissolves the structure of a society abandoned by the arms and brains of its youth. Soil-water-vegetation crisis should not be underestimated; coupled with socioeconomic congestion it would lead to an irremediable crash. Here, we show that the first and most difficult step to face soil degradation is to cultivate the right idea and develop it into a well-established community culture. We found in northern Morocco that 94.5% of farmers have no qualification and 82.6% of them act in a way that worsens soil degradation even if they are aware of the severity of the problem. This confused perception of ideas originates inappropriate labour behaviours non-aligned with public actions. Our results show that the impact of this is a high potential regional erosion rate of 27.7 t/ha/year which is equivalent to a massive potential gross amount of soil loss of 44.3 Mt/year. We show that this leads to an overall vegetation decrease related mainly to the anthropogenic pressure then to climate and lithology. We anticipate that the solution must be comprehensive, participatory, strategic and innovative, led by education and scientific research (Citizen Science) and involving all actors equally. In its broad context, the only path to achieve the coordination and alignment of actions would be through a gradual change of perception and involvement based on a time-consuming culture of assimilation and acceptance rather than a culture of rapid reform.