Tazekka National Park is a national park of Morocco. It is located in the Middle Atlas, near the city of Taza.

History

The park was created in 1950 with an initial area of 6.8 km2 to protect the natural resources around Jbel Tazekka (elevation 1,980 m), particularly the grove of cedars (Cedrus atlantica), which are isolated on this peak in the Middle Atlas range. In 1989, the park was extended to include nearly 120 km2 of ecologically important areas, including forests of cork oak and holm oak, as well as canyons, caves, cascades, and rural landscapes.

Geography

Climate

Atmospheric moisture condenses as it is orographically lifted over the mountain. As a result, the mountain frequently shows a cap cloud and annually receives approximately 180 cm of precipitation, particularly in the form of snow.

Fauna

Mammals are represented by North African boars, porcupines, otters, small-spotted genets, hares, African wolves, and red foxes. Barbary leopards, striped hyenas and caracals, which were found once in the area, are extinct. The Barbary stag was extinct as well, but has been reintroduced. The park has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of Barbary partridges, Levaillant's woodpeckers, subalpine and Sardinian warblers, spotless starlings, Moussier's redstarts, and black-eared and black wheatears.