TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

THE BEN! MGUILD OF MOROOOO 229
on the southeast, and the cliff of Zalane on the west, the plateau has
geographical unity despite its gradual blend into the Middle Atlas.
Averaging about 1,200 m in elevation, the surface of the Azaghar
Plateau is dotted by a series of old volcanic cones, is cut by an intricate
web of narrow valleys providing access to the area, and contains
a significant number of smaller plateaus that vary quite considerably
from the general elevation ofthe Azaghar. Both the Azaghar and the
Middle Atlas are drained by a number of streams and wadis, whoee
courses parallel the trend of the mountains in their headwater portions,
but later turn west to break through the mountains on their
way to the ocean, and in 110 doing open up routes for passage through
the mountains. It is this complex series of plateaus, old volcanic
cones, and narrow valleys that forms the winter gruing territory of
the Beni Mguild.
The third physiographic zone, the plain of the Upper Moulouya,
is a steppe region that contrasts markedly with the mountain and
upland areas to the west. Southeast of the town of Itzer, a very
steep cliff emphasizes the abrupt change in elevation between the
Middle Atlas and the Moulouya steppe. Here, a number of small
streams tumble down out of the mountains, supporting the small
agricultural villages and fortified granaries that dot these valleys.l0
West ofItzer, the slope from the Atlas into the plains is more gradual,
and agricultural possibilities are more limited.
As Celerier points out,ll it is climate, acting upon the physiography
and the distribution of vegetation, that plays a key role in
the Beni Mguild's adjustment to and exploitation of their environment.
As is the case with much of the mountainous area of North
Africa, Morocco is dominated by the Mediterranean regime of summer
drought and winter precipitation. The eastward drift of cyclonic
storms from the Atlantic encounters the barrier of the Middle Atlas;
being forced to rise, the storms deposit considerable quantities of
precipitation in the area. In the lowlands, this precipitation falls as
rain, but on the higher peaks (over 2,200 m) snow is the rule and the
snow cover here lasts all winter. The Azaghar Plateau, occupying
an intermediate position, receives rain and snow, but its elevation
is sufficiently low that snowfalls rarely result in significant accumulations.
This winter snowfall is crucial, because the quality of the
summer pasture depends upon the adequacy of the snowfall. 12 Although
occasional violent thunderstorms bring some precipitation to
the uplands, pasture is dependent upon snow melt for its nourishment.
However, at the same time that snow is falling in the high