Morocco’s argan oil boom threatens forests and rural livelihoods

Morocco’s growing argan oil industry, often referred to as producing “liquid gold,” is placing increasing pressure on the country’s fragile argan forests. Once covering more than 14,000 square kilometers, the forest area has declined by nearly 40 percent in recent decades.

Experts cite climate change and overgrazing as major causes. “The region has experienced six consecutive years of drought,” says Professor Zoubida Charrouf of…