The World Bank, in partnership with several countries and the GEF, launched the MENA-DELP regional program, which aims to contribute to the improvement of livelihoods in desert ecosystems by exploiting their value on a sustainable basis environmental and social, in order to optimize the flow of goods and services related to desert areas. The MENA-DELP is to maintain and improve the flow of ecosystem services in the desert for sustainable development by establishing a positive feedback loop.
The program focuses on the control of specific economic development opportunities for desert environments to integrate the protection of the health of the desert biome and diversity of the vast potential of innovative income-generating activities that also support the valuable pool of knowledge related to adaptation practices. Such an approach should ultimately generate opportunities to improve livelihoods in the deserts and build resilience and adaptive responses of communities and ecosystems desert areas face the expected climatic pressures.
The MENA-DELP program consists of six projects, five national projects (in addition to Morocco, it includes Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia) and a regional project. National projects cover various topics ranging from ecotourism and agriculture to livestock, but they all seek to improve the sustainability of these investments through an integrated approach to ecosystem management. Emphasis is also placed on participatory approaches, capacity building and mobilization of local knowledge. The regional framework aims to enhance the sharing of knowledge and experience between the five countries.
