Cork oak–Bouhachem, Morocco

Photographer’s comment: “A Barbary macaque sits in a cork oak (Quercus suber) in the forest of Bouhachem, northern Morocco.  I took this photo in October 2014 while working with Barbary Macaque Awareness and Conservation, an interdisciplinary project which protects the macaque, its habitat, and the livelihoods of the people who use the forest by taking a holistic approach to conservation. Bouhachem is the last stronghold of truly wild Barbary macaques, with the rest of Morocco’s population habituated for research and tourism. Cork oaks are important for this Endangered species, with the acorns a key source of food in the autumn and early winter months. Harvesting their bark to use the cork does not damage the trees, but the increasing demand for wine stoppers made of other materials threatens cork oak forests and the species within them. The people who live around Bouhachem use the forest to graze their goats and cattle, to harvest small amounts of timber for construction, and to collect edible mushrooms to sell.  Cork is also harvested, but in amounts that reflect the low demand. The future of Bouhachem depends on a landscape approach; for the people, for the macaques and other wildlife, and for the cork oaks that so beautifully shape the environment.”