Ifrane National Park is a protected area in the Middle Atlas mountain range of Morocco. It covers parts of the western mountains and areas in the provinces of Ifrane and Boulmane. The park is one of the few places where the Barbary macaque lives. This type of monkey once had a much larger home range in North Africa, but today it is an endangered species that only survives in small, broken-up areas.
History
Ifrane National Park was planned in 1994 and created in October 2004 to protect important animal and plant life, as well as ecosystems. This was done because human activity and the use of natural resources were increasing. Since the 1990s, Morocco has worked on plans to protect the environment and its variety of living things through projects and agreements, such as the Ramsar Convention. Ifrane National Park is one example of how Morocco shows the value of its forests and ecosystems.
The park originally covered 53,800 hectares (133,000 acres). In April 2008, its area was expanded to include some of the most important places for the environment, such as wetlands and forests at high altitudes.
In 2021, to mark World Biodiversity Day, several Barbary sheep and crested porcupines were brought back into the park.
Geography
Ifrane National Park covers an area of 125,000 hectares (310,000 acres). Much of the park is covered with Atlas cedar trees. The park’s altitude ranges from 1,300 to 2,400 meters (4,300 to 7,900 feet), including the cedar forest in the province of Ifrane. The park has one-tenth of the world’s Atlas cedar trees, one-fourth of the world’s Barbary macaque population, and two Ramsar sites: lakes Afennourir and Tifounassine. The former monastery of Toumliline is also located within the park.
The park is in the Atlas Mountains and is influenced by the cold north Atlantic current. It has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb), with short, dry summers and long, cool, damp winters. Winter nights can be very cold, and temperatures rarely go above 10°C (50°F) from December to February.
Because of its high elevation, the park receives snow during winter and has cooler summers than nearby areas. The park’s elevation and location near the north Atlantic Ocean cause heavy rainfall when weather systems pass through. Rainfall typically occurs from October to April, and the park receives heavy snowfall starting as early as October, lasting into spring. The average annual temperature does not exceed 11°C (52°F).
The city of Ifrane holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Africa: −23.9°C (−11.0°F) on February 11, 1935.
The park has 1,015 different plant species, including Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), evergreen oak (Quercus ilex), Algerian oak (Quercus canariensis), maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), and Spanish juniper (Juniperus thurifera). Other trees include Montpellier maple, yew, and holly.
- Cedrus atlantica in the Park
- Quercus canariensis
The park is home to many animals. It provides a natural habitat for Barbary macaques. Other animals found in the park include Barbary wild boars, African wolves, striped hyenas, Barbary stags, Barbary sheep (arruis), red foxes, servals, caracals, European otters, European rabbits, crested porcupines, Cape hares, common genets, and possibly Barbary leopards.
The park is an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports large populations of Barbary partridges, ruddy shelducks, marbled teals, red-knobbed coots, Levaillant’s woodpeckers, subalpine, Sardinian, and speckled warblers, spotless starlings, Moussier’s redstarts, and black-eared and black wheatears. Afennourir Lake, a Ramsar site, is a place for birdwatching.
- Spanish pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa)
- Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus)