Ahmad 
Morocco intends to resort to advanced technologies such as satellites and drones to update statistics on nomadic tribes.
This step comes after recording a sharp decline in the numbers of this population group, as official figures for 2014 indicated a decline in their number by 63%, reaching 25,274 individuals, representing only 7 individuals for every 10,000 people of the country’s total population.
The proposal presented by the member participating in the previous census, Abdul Jalil Hosseini, aims to determine the locations of nomadic families with greater accuracy and track their seasonal movements, especially in light of environmental challenges such as drought and water scarcity.
This technology is designed not only to determine the number of tents each family has, but also to ensure the comprehensiveness of the statistical process to include those living in built housing.
The plan focuses on the regions of Katinghir, Midelt, Assa Zag, and Errachidia, where three-quarters of the nomadic population is concentrated, in addition to monitoring their distribution in Guelmim, Taza, Zagora, Boujdour, and Tarfaya.
Efforts to update statistics come ahead of the start of the general population census scheduled for the coming months.
The number of nomads in Morocco has decreased significantly in recent decades. According to 2014 statistics, there were about 25,000 nomads in Morocco, equivalent to 0.2% of the total population, while in 2004, there were about 68,000 nomads in Morocco.
The decline is due to a number of factors, including climate change, poverty and migration to cities. Nomads are mostly concentrated in the southern and eastern regions of Morocco, including Draa-Tafilalet, Guelmim-Oued Noun, Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra and Souss-Massa.
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