Commons in Crisis

Through economic and geographical cross-disciplinary approaches based on case studies illustrating the current endogenous and exogenous transformations of the use of common resources in Morocco, the aim of this article is to question the evolution of the notion of commons. Is it still relevant to refer to commons when rural communities have frequently lost the power to govern local natural common-pool resources, such as agricultural water, grasslands, or certain types of forests, to the benefit of the state or the private sector? We question the current role of national public authorities who have supported the rise of a production-driven organization, particularly in the context of the “Green Morocco Plan.” Thus, the preservation of natural resources, collective management systems, and traditional expertise have too often been neglected.