Assessment of Flood Resilience in Moroccan Coastal Zones: The Cases of the Saïdia and Tahaddart Coasts

Aitali, R.; Snoussi, M.; Oujidi, B., and Mhammdi, N., 2024. Assessment of flood resilience in Moroccan coastal zones: The cases of the Saïdia and Tahaddart coasts. In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 1041-1048. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Healthy and resilient coastal areas provide a wide range of ecosystem services, contributing to the economic well-being of local communities. However, like in many places in the world, Moroccan coastal zones are increasingly subject to human pressures and natural forcing, making them more exposed to various weather-related hazards, and consequently more vulnerable and less resilient to coastal risks. This paper explores the concept of resilience to flooding of two coastal zones in Morocco: The Tahaddart coast on the Atlantic facade and the Saidia coast on the Mediterranean facade. The objective is to evaluate the ability of the social, economic, and environmental systems of these areas to cope with disturbances caused by floods. We used a multicriteria analysis based on indices and geographic information system. This approach allowed to identify the areas less resilient, and to analyze the main factors that underline the failure of resilience. The results showed that various factors, expressing natural, physical, economic, and social resilience, can affect the spatial distribution of resilience index to flooding. The main findings showed that resilience varies depending on the elevation of the area, the vulnerability of infrastructures, the availability, and ease of access to resources, as well as the socio-economic conditions of at-risk communities. The Flood Resilience Index, combined with the Coastal Risk Index can help decision-makers and coastal managers identify the area's most vulnerable to coastal risks, that require priority actions, and develop strategies to strengthen the ability of coastal areas to adapt to the adverse effects of flood disaster risks, and to enhance coastal community resilience, especially in the context of climate change.