Application of the IMET, Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool, to evaluate the effectiveness of wetland management

Case of Moulouya estuary in northeast Morocco

The assessment of protected area management effectiveness is crucial for their reactive, adaptive, and proactive management. In northeast Morocco, the governance system in the Moulouya River wetland complex is complicated. The Site of Biological and Ecological Interest (SIBE) covers two provinces, Nador and Berkane, which hampers effective coordination between the responsible bodies, a situation deplored by many actors who regret the lack of coordination in management. The evaluation of the management effectiveness of the SIBE of the Moulouya Estuary was carried out using a new evaluation tool called “Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool” (IMET). A review of the evaluation results indicates that all elements of the protected area management cycle are below the 50% IMET average. The overall score of the analysis is only 33.1%, demonstrating an overall low performance. The worst performers are processes (25.7), inputs (27.5) and effects/ impacts (28.9). The management context (42.1), planning (38.2) and results (36.1) show slightly higher scores. While confirming the values and importance, the SIBE does not ensure adequate efficiency in the operation and implementation of activities. The evaluation revealed that the SIBE of Moulouya Estuary faces several major challenges similar to other sites assessed by the same tool at the level of Central Africa. Indeed, the use of the IMET tool allowed a thorough assessment of the effectiveness of management in another type of protected area and in another ecoregion, which validates the work of Bialowolski et al. (2023). The IMET tool can therefore be used regardless of geographic region, country, typology, ecoregion, management category and international designation.

OUAGGA Toufik;  PAOLINI Carlo;  ROGGERI Paolo;  SAHIB Nargis; 

2025-08-21

NATURALIA PUBLICATIONS

JRC141596

1775-4100 (online),    0153-8756 (print),   

https://ecologia-mediterranea.univ-avignon.fr/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2025/01/ecologia-mediterranea_50-1.pdf,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC141596,