By Bryn Miller
Rabat - The Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment awarded 22 Moroccan beaches the label of "Pavilion Bleu" (Blue Pavilion) last Wednesday.
Created by the French Office of the Foundation for the Education of Environment in Europe in 1985, “Pavilion Bleu” is a label that helps tourist find locations with high environmental quality.
The term is an internationally-recognized term in the fields of tourism, the environment, and sustainable development. This label was introduced to Morocco in 2002; that year, just five beaches qualified.
The number of "Pavilion Bleu" beaches increased to 19 in 2014, 23 in 2015 and 22 this year. Lalla Hasna and the International Foundation for Education and Environment (FEE) have led this initiative through the Mohammed VI Foundation.
A national committee took many criteria into consideration when determining which beaches qualified, including the quality of water, the site management, waste maintenance, awareness and environment education.
This improvement was mainly achieved thanks to the program “Plages Propres", an environmental initiative launched in 1999. Eighty-seven Moroccan beaches have joined the program this year.
The beaches are located all over the country, including in Essaidia, Tangier-Assilah, Bouznika, Al-Haouzia, Al Oualidia, Sidi Rihal, Assfi, Essaouira, Al Ayoune, Tiznit, Nador, Dakhla, Tetouan, Skhirat and Agadir.
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