Evolution of Landscapes and Land Cover in Old Villages of Ziz Oasis (East Morocco) and SWOT Analysis for Potential Sustainable Tourism

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

All comments were included in the file below

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

mentioned in the file

Author Response

Comment 1: The closest paper from the same area are: Karmaoui, A.; Moumane, A.; El Jaafari, S.; Menouni, A.; Al Karkouri, J.; Yacoubi, M.; Hajji, L. Thirty Years of Change in the Land Use and Land Cover of the Ziz Oases (Pre-Sahara of Morocco) Combining Remote Sensing, GIS, and Field Observations. Land 2023, 12, 2127.

Response 1: we used this article as a reference since its study was realized in the same areas.

Comment 2: References,

Response 2: added as suggested.

Comment 3: Figures and tables

Response 3: Improved as recommended. We used the recommended format.

Comment 4: However, the definition of rural areas differs depending on various factors: which factors, please mention them.

Response 4: corrected as suggested:

However, the definition of rural areas differs depending on various factors, including geographical location, socioeconomic contexts, and the purposes of each state (Bennet et al 2019).

Comment 5: If possible, add a new section for recommendations. This section must include suggestions to protect the integrity of rural villages, valorization of their ecotourism potential, and future avenues for research.

Response 5: the recommendations are included. They focused on the protection and valorization of rural villages (historical buildings, monuments, and architecture).

Comment 6:  It’s a good topic but clarify why you did you selected it.

Response 6: the topic of our study was selected based on deep bibliographic research and field investigations in the region of Deraa-Tafilalte. These steps demonstrated huge impacts on the integrity of rural areas. Therefore, we realized this study to evaluate the evolution of rural villages along the Ziz valley.

Comment 7: please add statistics to show the significance among recorded data (areas for landcover and for SWOT analysis). Don’t forget to add a section of statistics in the materials and methods.

Response 7: we added statistical sections in both materials and results sections. We realized simple and multivariate analysis:

Materials and Methods

The collected data were organized in Excel sheets depending on type of the parameters and cluster villages. First, we tested the normality of data with the Shapiro–Wilk test. Then, we compared the areas (ha) of the rural villages among Clusters (A, B, and C) and among study periods (1965, 1965-2000, and 2000-2023) with an ANOVA One-way test. A similar test was used to compare the parameters of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) among studied villages. On the other hand, we selected the multivariate analysis to investigate the associations between landcover characteristics and studied Cluster villages. In our case, we used the Correspondence Analysis (CA) because our data were qualitative. The Cluster villages were considered as dependent variables (N=3 Cluster villages), while the characteristics of landcover were considered as independent variables. The obtained results were presented in the axes with higher eigenvalues and superior percentages of variance. Statistics were realized in the IBM SPSS Statistics 25 and results were presented as mean±SD. The significant values were considered at p≤0.05.

Results

Statistics

Figure x presents the evolution of cluster villages from 1965 to 2023 in the Ziz Valley. The comparison of villages’ covered areas showed significant variations from 1965 to 2023. The area of cluster A villages significantly increased from 1965 (32.25±1.72 ha) to 2023 (60.39±3.48). Similarly, the villages of cluster B increased from 34.3±1.68 ha in 1965 to 68.77±2.27 ha in 2023. In contrast, the villages of Cluster C decreased from 21.49±1.72 ha in 1965 to 11.94±1.46 ha in 2000 and 11.3±1.71 ha in 2023. On the other hand, the comparison between cluster villages showed different results depending on the periods. In 1965 and 1965-2000, the villages of Clusters A and B showed higher areas compared to the villages of Cluster C. In 2000-2023, the area of Cluster B villages was significantly superior, followed by the villages of Cluster A, while the lowest area was recorded in the villages of Cluster C.

Figure x: Evolution of cluster villages from 1965 to 2023 along Ziz Valley (Comparison between Clusters: ***>**>*; and Comparison between periods: a>b>c)

Figure x presents the Correspondence Analysis (CA) plot of cluster villages and their landcover characteristics. The analysis of the recorded results showed that the data were grouped in three groups combining cluster villages with their dominant landcovers in two axes with a percentage variance estimated at 100%. The villages of cluster C were characterized by dominance of farmlands (old and new farms), long roads, and ancient villages. The villages of cluster B were dominated by urban residential areas. In the villages of cluster A, the lands were occupied mainly by new standardized lots, socio-educative areas, commercial zones, and touristic urban services.

Figure x: Correspondence Analysis (CA) showing the associations between studied villages and dominant landcover characteristics in Ziz Valley

The comparison of SWOT analysis parameters (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is presented in Table x. The analysis of data presented showed significant variations depending on the type of parameter and Cluster villages. The weight of Strengths was statistically superior in the villages of Cluster B and C compared to Cluster A. In contrast, the score and Weighted Score of Strengths were statistically similar among all studied villages. The Weighted Score and Score of Weaknesses were statistically similar among all villages. In contrast, the weight of Weaknesses was statistically superior in the villages of both Clusters A and C, while the lower value was recorded in the villages of Cluster B. In terms of opportunities, the weight was significantly superior in the cluster C villages, while the value was similar between the A and B Cluster villages. Further, the score was significantly superior and similar in both B and C Cluster villages as compared to the villages of Cluster A. In contrast, the Weighted Score was significantly superior in Cluster C, followed by Cluster B, while the lowest value was recorded in the villages of Cluster A. The Threats showed different results depending on the parameters and villages. The Weight and Weighted Score were statistically similar among all studied villages. In contrast, the score was significantly superior in the villages of Cluster C, while in both Clusters A and B the value was similar.

Table x: Comparison of SWOT analysis parameters (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) among studied villages of Ziz Valley (Statistically a>b>c)

Comment 8:

References

L Maada, K Al Fararni, B Aghoutane, Y Farhaoui… A Proof of Concept Web Application for Sentiment Analysis in Tourism in the Region of Draa-Tafilalet- 2022

O Boulaalam, B Aghoutane, D El Ouadghiri… Proposal of a big data system based on the recommendation and profiling techniques for an intelligent management of moroccan tourism- Procedia Computer …, 2018

Y Li, H Westlund, Y Liu - Why some rural areas decline while some others not: An overview of rural evolution in the world. Journal of Rural Studies, 2019

MR El‐Ghonemy - Food security and rural development in North Africa. Middle Eastern Studies, 1993

A Taouraout, A Chahlaoui, D Belghyti, M Najy… The socio-cultural acceptance of EcoSan latrines in rural areas of Morocco- Proceedings of the 3rd …, 2018

B Romagny, M Aderghal, L Auclair, H Ilbert… From rural to urban areas: new trends and challenges for the commons in Morocco - The Journal of North …, 2023

Matoušková, E.; Pavelka, K.; Smolík, T.; Pavelka, K., Jr. Earthen Jewish Architecture of Southern Morocco: Documentation of Unfired Brick Synagogues and Mellahs in the Drâa-Tafilalet Region. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 1712. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041712

JR Muntifering, S Clark, WL Linklater, S Uri-Khob… Lessons from a conservation and tourism cooperative: the Namibian black rhinoceros case- Annals of tourism …, 2020

Reviewer 2 Report

The statistics section presents an opportunity for enhancement by improving the clarity and depth of the comparison between land cover and SWOT analysis through the integration of robust statistical tests. This step has the potential to bolster the validity of the findings and foster a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships explored in the study. Moreover, extending the comparison beyond the immediate scope of the research by referencing and critically assessing relevant studies would enrich the context and contribute to the broader scientific discourse. Additionally, in discussing management actions to protect rural villages, there is room for improvement in providing more specific and actionable recommendations. Integrating insights from related references and case studies could offer a more nuanced understanding of successful strategies employed in similar contexts, facilitating the formulation of more effective and contextually relevant management proposals. Addressing these aspects would enable the scientific article to achieve a higher level of rigor and applicability, making a meaningful contribution to the existing body of knowledge in the field.

Author Response

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Comment: The statistics section presents an opportunity for enhancement by improving the clarity and depth of the comparison between land cover and SWOT analysis through the integration of robust statistical tests. This step has the potential to bolster the validity of the findings and foster a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships explored in the study. Moreover, extending the comparison beyond the immediate scope of the research by referencing and critically assessing relevant studies would enrich the context and contribute to the broader scientific discourse.

Response: Thank you for your comment. We added statistics to analyze our data in order to quantify changes and parameters of SWOT analysis.

Statistics

The collected data were organized in Excel sheets depending on type of the parameters and cluster villages. First, we tested the normality of data with the Shapiro–Wilk test. Then, we compared the areas (ha) of the rural villages among Clusters (A, B, and C) and among study periods (1965, 1965-2000, and 2000-2023) with an ANOVA One-way test. A similar test was used to compare the parameters of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) among studied villages. On the other hand, we selected the multivariate analysis to investigate the associations between landcover characteristics and studied Cluster villages. In our case, we used the Correspondence Analysis (CA) because our data were qualitative. The Cluster villages were considered as dependent variables (N=3 Cluster villages), while the characteristics of landcover were considered as independent variables. The obtained results were presented in the axes with higher eigenvalues and superior percentages of variance. Statistics were realized in the IBM SPSS Statistics 25 and results were presented as mean±SD. The significant values were considered at p≤0.05.

Results

Figure x: Evolution of cluster villages from 1965 to 2023 along Ziz Valley (Comparison between Clusters: ***>**>*; and Comparison between periods: a>b>c)

Figure x: Correspondence Analysis (CA) showing the associations between studied villages and dominant landcover characteristics in Ziz valley

Table x: Comparison of SWOT analysis parameters (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) among studied villages of Ziz Valley (Statistically a>b>c)

Comment: Additionally, in discussing management actions to protect rural villages, there is room for improvement in providing more specific and actionable recommendations. Integrating insights from related references and case studies could offer a more nuanced understanding of successful strategies employed in similar contexts, facilitating the formulation of more effective and contextually relevant management proposals. Addressing these aspects would enable the scientific article to achieve a higher level of rigor and applicability, making a meaningful contribution to the existing body of knowledge in the field.

Response: We added the recommendations as suggested.

Based on the analysis of our results, we demonstrated that rural villages are impacted by human and natural factors. Urbanization, farmlands, low maintenance, and infrastructures are the most recorded anthropogenic factors. In terms of natural factors, floods and climate change are the most documented. Therefore, our recommendations are divided into research and conservation avenues.

In terms of research, future investigations need to address the census of rural villages, buildings, and architecture in rural areas of Southeast Morocco. Equally, research needs to assess the lifestyle of rural populations and their socio-economic aspects. The social features include social values and cultures, while the economic aspects include the activities that bring income such as agriculture, artisanal, services, medicinal plants, commerce, etc. In the economic aspects, the investigation needs to address the income from rural tourism and how the visitors improve or deteriorate rural values and integrity.

In terms of conservation, the recommendations could be divided into the conservation of villages and the protection of values and cultures of rural life. The conservation of villages includes the maintenance of buildings, historical monuments, and architecture. For example, Matoušková et al (2021) reported the existence of Unfired Brick Mellahs and Synagogues in the Drâa-Tafilalet Region, which need serious conservation actions. In terms of values and cultures, the conservation approaches need to protect the cultural aspects of rural populations such as traditions, artisanal activities, hand-made instruments, music, and related aspects.

The protection and conservation of rural villages need close collaboration among authorities, scientists, and local populations. The scientists are requested to offer deep investigations including data on potential, threatening factors and required actions. The authorities are requested to offer investments and national strategies to conserve the rural features. The sensitization of local populations and their integration into conservation actions are suggested to facilitate the applications of the strategies programmed by the authorities (Muntifering et al 2020).

Reviewer 3 Report

This paper presents the results of an effort to answer two questions: the changes brought about in a specific rural area by the construction of a dam; and to what extent the area post-dam construction offers opportunities for touristic development. It answers both adequately, but I feel an opportunity to say something more significant and interesting has been lost. There seems to be no effort to (or interest in) enquiring why and how the changes and developments noted came about or the consequences for the local population. To do so would inform a wider debate on aspects of rural development rather than merely presenting a particular case study as if it has inherent significance for a global readership, which is all this is.

You nowhere say why you chose this area for your study nor whose specific interests (commercial or otherwise) your results serve. Nor do you take any account of local experience or attitudes, nor the consequences on the local population either of the changes you indicate or the touristic development you seem keen to advocate. An investigation of how locals experience these changes and their attitudes towards the dam and possible tourism would be both very valuable in understanding the processes you describe and ethically correct to undertake. 

It is not clear where the data for the SWOT analysis comes from: you state you analysed various factors, but how is not made clear. While SWOT analyses are valuable tools for thinking, they say nothing in their own right and to present one as if meaningful in its own right is questionable. 

On a more minor note, the figures are all too small to be interpreted by a reader. The captions give a title but little else and no indication of what a reader should look for in them, especially in those comprising multiple images. The captions need to be fuller. 

In sum, there is an interesting story to be told here but you do not tell it. I can see little that would be of interest to a global professional or academic readership.

Author Response

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper presents the results of an effort to answer two questions: the changes brought about in a specific rural area by the construction of a dam; and to what extent the area post-dam construction offers opportunities for touristic development. It answers both adequately, but I feel an opportunity to say something more significant and interesting has been lost. There seems to be no effort to (or interest in) enquiring why and how the changes and developments noted came about or the consequences for the local population. To do so would inform a wider debate on aspects of rural development rather than merely presenting a particular case study as if it has inherent significance for a global readership, which is all this is.

Response: in this study, we concentrated on the rural villages and their populations. We made field visits and we used satellite tools to evaluate the status of rural villages including tourism services and areas. To incorporate the population, we used questionnaires destined for them and authorities. These elements are complementary in order to clarify the status of villages and their tourism potential.

Concerning the case study, this paper is the first to address the aspects of evolution, landcover, and tourism potential in rural areas of the Mediterranean basin, therefore this study is suggested to be a reference for future investigations in the same fields.

Comment: You nowhere say why you chose this area for your study nor whose specific interests (commercial or otherwise) your results serve.

Response: thank you for the comment. We added the reasons as suggested.

Firstly, this study area was selected because of its tourism potential; this area receives millions of visitors from both international and national markets (Boulaalam et al 2018, Maada et al 2022). Secondly, investigations on the rural villages and their evolution from the independence are not existing, particularly in southeastern Morocco.

Comment: Nor do you take any account of local experience or attitudes, nor the consequences on the local population either of the changes you indicate or the touristic development you seem keen to advocate. An investigation of how locals experience these changes and their attitudes towards the dam and possible tourism would be both very valuable in understanding the processes you describe and ethically correct to undertake.

Response: thank you for the comment. Please not that we asked the local population, authorities and others during the collect of data for SWOT analysis (see: We conducted field interviews (n=160) with local authorities, institutional representatives, tourism agents, and residents). The questions were concentrated on resilience and sustainability of social, economic and environmental aspects of the populations in the villages. See Retrospective of Rural Planning Fabrics section.

Concerning the responses of local populations, including their opinion on tourism activities, conversion to ecotourism, and income, we are in the phase of preparation for another article focusing on the aspects you mentioned.

Comment: It is not clear where the data for the SWOT analysis comes from: you state you analyzed various factors, but how is not made clear. While SWOT analyses are valuable tools for thinking, they say nothing in their own right and to present one as if meaningful in its own right is questionable.

Response: The data for SWOT analysis was collected using field visits and interviews (see the section of Data collection and SWOT analysis). We collected the data on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats for each group of villages (see tables 5 and 6).

Comment: On a more minor note, the figures are all too small to be interpreted by a reader. The captions give a title but little else and no indication of what a reader should look for in them, especially in those comprising multiple images. The captions need to be fuller.

Response:  clarified with good quality as recommended.

Comment: In sum, there is an interesting story to be told here but you do not tell it. I can see little that would be of interest to a global professional or academic readership.

Response: thank you, this study is very interesting to clarify the picture of rural villages in Morocco and North Africa and to evaluate their tourism potential for both local and international Markets.

Reviewer 4 Report

This paper focuses on the rural landscape and land cover changes in oasis areas of Morocco, and discusses the characteristics and causes of rural change, and then compares the differences and tourism development potential among the three clusters of villages. Therefore, this research topic has certain practical significance, especially for the rural change and tourism development of developing countries has strong reference value.

However, there are still many obvious shortcomings in this paper, which need to be improved:

Firstly, the introduction fails to draw the core issues, research significance and importance of this study from the references. It is suggested to summarize the urgency and importance of this study from the review of the main relevant literature, so as to supplement and improve the achievements of many previous studies. Then, it is concluded that the core issue of this study should be the characteristics and causes of village landscape and land cover changes in three cluster villages in the Qizi Valley during 1965-2023, and the comparison of their differences, as well as the estimation of their rural tourism development potential. Moreover, the references in the introduction part of this paper are insufficient and need to be further supplemented.

Secondly, Part 3.1-3.3 mainly describes the characteristics, rural structure and land use change of the three cluster villages, without further research, such as quantitative research on the change motivation and formation mechanism. And there are no comparative studies with similar areas in neighboring countries. Therefore, this part of the content is only descriptive analysis and superficial. In fact, the comparative study of land use change in these three cluster villages has conditions for further analysis. I propose to construct a research framework on the evolution of urban landscape and the degradation of rural landscape "based on relevant theories, so as to integrate the contents of 3.1-3.3 to form an organic whole, summarize the theories and laws, and draw a more general conclusion.

Thirdly, part 3.4 is the SWOT analysis of rural tourism sustainability, which also has obvious shortcomings in lack of theoretical guidance and literature support, so the conclusion is not convincing.

To sum up, this paper is obviously lacking of theoretical guidance from the research topic to the practical demonstration, and fails to put forward specific research questions. Secondly, this paper does not carry out quantitative analysis, but mainly focuses on descriptive analysis, although the data is rich, it cannot draw a convincing conclusion. Therefore, this paper needs major revision both in theory and method.

Author Response

Comment: This paper focuses on the rural landscape and land cover changes in oasis areas of Morocco, and discusses the characteristics and causes of rural change, and then compares the differences and tourism development potential among the three clusters of villages. Therefore, this research topic has certain practical significance, especially for the rural change and tourism development of developing countries has strong reference value.

Response: thank you, yes the paper is suggested to clarify for the first time the status of rural villages in the oasis of Morocco (North Africa) and their tourism potential.

However, there are still many obvious shortcomings in this paper, which need to be improved:

Comment: Firstly, the introduction fails to draw the core issues, research significance and importance of this study from the references. It is suggested to summarize the urgency and importance of this study from the review of the main relevant literature, so as to supplement and improve the achievements of many previous studies. Then, it is concluded that the core issue of this study should be the characteristics and causes of village landscape and land cover changes in three cluster villages in the Qizi Valley during 1965-2023, and the comparison of their differences, as well as the estimation of their rural tourism development potential. Moreover, the references in the introduction part of this paper are insufficient and need to be further supplemented.

Response: thank you for the comment. We added paragraphs intending to clarify the problematic and to valorize the objective of this study.

1: However, the investigations in rural areas are limited compared to urban zones, mainly in countries with low development (Li et al 2019). These explain the obscurity of rural picture, particularly in terms of status, evolution, changes, threatening factors, and potentials

2: Equally, the impacts in rural areas risk to influence the economic, social, and environmental potentials (Li et al 2019). Therefore, more research is needed, mainly in the North African areas, known for the dominance of rural lands (El‐Ghonemy 1993, Taouraout et al 2018). This research needs to focus on the estimation of the degradation of rural aspects, such as villages, buildings, landscapes, and architecture, and their effects on the economic and social potentials of these zones (i.e. tourism and agriculture)

3: These risks impact the potentials of rural areas, including economic opportunities, such as tourism and agriculture, as well as natural landscapes, such as villages, buildings, and rural lifestyles (artisanal activities). However, due to the limited investigations in rural areas (Romagny et al 2023), there is no clear data on how anthropogenic and natural factors impact rural components, including villages and their potentials (i.e. development and tourism)

Comment: Secondly, Part 3.1-3.3 mainly describes the characteristics, rural structure, and land use change of the three cluster villages, without further research, such as quantitative research on the change motivation and formation mechanism. And there are no comparative studies with similar areas in neighboring countries. Therefore, this part of the content is only a descriptive analysis and is superficial. In fact, the comparative study of land use change in these three cluster villages has conditions for further analysis. I propose to construct a research framework on the evolution of urban landscape and the degradation of rural landscape "based on relevant theories, so as to integrate the contents of 3.1-3.3 to form an organic whole, summarize the theories and laws, and draw a more general conclusion.

Response: thank you for the comment. We added quantitative data and we realized statistical analysis in order to avoid descriptive and superficial interpretations. Please see statistic section in the materials and Methods and the results.

Figure x: Evolution of cluster villages from 1965 to 2023 along Ziz Valley (Comparison between Clusters: ***>**>*; and Comparison between periods: a>b>c)

Figure x: Correspondence Analysis (CA) showing the associations between studied villages and dominant landcover characteristics in Ziz valley

Table x: Comparison of SWOT analysis parameters (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) among studied villages of Ziz Valley (Statistically a>b>c)

Comment: Thirdly, part 3.4 is the SWOT analysis of rural tourism sustainability, which also has obvious shortcomings in lack of theoretical guidance and literature support, so the conclusion is not convincing.

Response: We added the questionnaires of field interviews and we added statistics to improve the clarity of SWOT analysis and their results.

Comment: To sum up, this paper is obviously lacking of theoretical guidance from the research topic to the practical demonstration, and fails to put forward specific research questions. Secondly, this paper does not carry out quantitative analysis, but mainly focuses on descriptive analysis, although the data is rich, it cannot draw a convincing conclusion. Therefore, this paper needs major revision both in theory and method.

Response: please note that our objective is to clarify the status of rural villages in the Ziz Valley and evaluate their tourism potential. Therefore, we investigated the evolution of the villages and their surrounding areas from 1965 to 2023 with field visits and images from satellites. Then, we collected data via interviews with authorities, responsibles, and tourism agencies for SWOT analysis, which is used to compare the potentials among cluster villages.

In the methodology, we realized the approaches to acquire data capable of responding to fixed objectives. First, we delimited the study zone, and we fixed the search methods (see Data collection). Second, the data collection was divided into field visits and use of satellite images, and field visits with interviews. Then we realized statistics to clarify the trends of recorded data.

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

You seem to have made the minimum alterations to the text to meet my previous comments and you offer no justification for the changes you have made nor for those you have not made. I regret that my opinion on the piece remains the same: it does not represent work worthy of publication to a global professional audience. You mention future work that could / should be conducted but in the meantime you provide no more than before. A publication worthy of the journal's audience would be the product of that more extensive and complete work but not this. 

Reviewer 4 Report

The authors' meticulous responses and hard work have greatly improved the paper's quality.

Furthermore, the responses uncovered a substantial limitation in the study's data foundation, which the authors diligently tackled.

After a meticulous revision of the paper, many issues have been addressed and improved, with some context-specific challenges remaining unresolved for future exploration by the authors.