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Monkeys of Morocco

May 24, 2016

Protecting the Barbary macaques in Morocco's mountain regions requires local input. Conservationists visit schools and bring medical aid to remote areas to get communities involved in the fight to save the primates.

https://p.dw.com/p/1ItR0
A monkey behind bars
Image: Barbary Macaque Awareness and Conservation

Morocco: Barbary macaques under threat

Project goal: Boosting numbers of Barbary macaques, which the IUCN Red List currently considers "endangered"
Project location: Oak forests of the Rif mountain range in Bouhachem, northern Morocco
Project partner: Barbary Macaque Awareness & Conservation (BMAC)
Project Finance: supported by donations

Kept as pets, their forests chopped down - Barbary macaques have become an endangered species. This conflict with humans is the root cause for their plight. But protecting them won't work without the local people. BMAC, a small non-governmental organization, is trying to do just that. It visits schools, presents a travel exhibition and brings medical aid to people in remote areas, convincing locals of the need to protect the animals.

A film by Mabel Gundlach