Scientific research to focus on bio-diversity protection, official

Moroccan secretary of state in charge of scientific research, Omar Fassi Fihri, announced Tuesday that 37 percent of scientific research projects to be financed by his department will deal with the protection and assessment of natural resources and biological diversity.

The official who was addressing the first congress of the Moroccan biological diversity association in Rabat Tuesday warned that the country's natural resources are threatened by pollution, human behavior, drought and desert encroachment.

The secretary of state said scientific research that is oriented towards biological diversity protection is a scientific and environmental stake and added his department is projecting to institute partnership between Moroccan and foreign scientific research institutions.

Chairman of the Moroccan biological diversity association, Mohamed Fannane, deplored the lack of a thorough assessment of biological diversity in Morocco and said foreign searchers devote much more time to biological diversity than Moroccan searchers.