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Groundwater in Morocco is restricted because of the semiarid to arid climatic conditions. In this area, the water resources, especially groundwater, are extremely significant. However, it is under threat from organic and inorganic pollution. Furthermore, it is considered the only source of potable water as well as having different usages in Zagora (the southeast of Morocco), making its quantitative and qualitative protection an urgent priority. The present study focused mainly on the anthropogenic impact on the natural resources and groundwater quality around Zagora city by using geospatial techniques and the Water Quality Index (WQI). This paper uses sampling data from 15 wells in the water table of Oasis Fezouata. 15 samples were collected from wells during rainy and dry seasons in two years 2020-2021 and the analysis of the groundwater quality of studied stations. The suitability of the aquifer Fezouata was investigated using drinking and irrigation water quality indices like SSP, SAR, MHs, PI, and KR. The results showed that sulfate and chloride are the dominant anions in the groundwater samples. While the mean abundance of major cations is Na+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > K+, the sodium ion is dominant and K+ is the least abundant. The Water Quality Index suggests that 28.55% are good quality water, (23.90%–47.55%) are poor and very poor quality water, respectively, and 40.24% are unsuitable for drinking purposes in 2020. Furthermore, the WQI of the 2021 campaign showed that only 17.48% were considered good quality water and 38.94% (43.58%) were poor or very poor quality water, respectively. However, 33.21% are unsuitable for drinking water. Based on SAR, PI, SSP, KR, and HM values, the majority of groundwater samples can be used for agricultural purposes, notably those of the upstream part of the study area. These results represent an important contribution to the evaluation of groundwater quality and may be influenced mainly by local factors, especially the wastewater treatment stations and mine discharges, which are the primary sources of deteriorating water quality.

The abundance or scarcity of surface water in a watershed is related to environmental factors including its morphology, substrate type, rainfall, slope, and exposure to moist air masses. The combination of these characteristics explains the hydrological behavior of the river network, knowledge of which is important for water resources management. Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing are efficient tools to assess the morphometric characteristic in a watershed. Using these tools, the physical characterization of the two water basins located on either side of the High Atlas of Morocco was investigated in this study. The results show that the Upper Draa basin is characterized by an elongated shape, with a drainage density of 0.14 km/km2. Altitudes and slopes vary little and slopes are oriented in most cases towards the southeast (27.34%). Substrate is mostly permeable, which promotes infiltration and aridity of the soil. This contrasts with the Zat basin that is characterized by very variable elevations and slopes, and slopes are mainly exposed to the North and North-West (30.42%), which therefore favors strong runoff and a very high flow velocity. The hydrological contrast observed in the two basins impacts the human use of surface water. These results effectively explain the hydrological behavior and provide managers with useful information for better management and decision-making regarding the two studied hydro systems.

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The female of Agraecina agadirensis was discovered during a scientific internship in autumn 2019 in a cave system of the Moroccan High Atlas. Since then, several surveys were needed to find a male of the species, which was finally collected in April 2021. Based on this specimen, a detailed description, an extended taxonomic diagnosis, photos of the habitus, as well as drawings of the male pedipalpus are presented. Furthermore, we draw attention to anthropogenic threats to this endemic troglobionte species and propose the legal protection of the Imi Ougoug cave system.

During a scientific internship in a mountainous area near Agadir, several caves were prospected; the sampled material included several spider species. Morphological and taxonomical analysis revealed two new species to science: an anophthalmic troglobiont species, Agraecina agadirensisspec. nov. (description based on three females) and a new member of the genus Steatoda in the Mediterranean region, Steatoda ifricolaspec. nov. (description based on both sexes). Diagnoses, drawings and photos are presented.

Studies on the bivalve family Sphaeriidae in North Africa are very limited at the surface water level, but even more for caves. During an expedition in 2019 to the Ait M’hamed cave (Oum Er Rabia Basin), six specimens of the genus Pisidium were collected. Morphometric and genetic analyses showed that these individuals belong to the species Pisidium subtruncatum Malm, 1855. This work is the first step towards future exploration of cave Sphaeriidae in North Africa.