The ANEF Kicks Off the 2026-2027 Hunting Season

The National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF), in partnership with the Royal Moroccan Hunting Federation (FRMC), officially launched the 2026-2027 hunting season on Friday, October 2, 2026, at the Congress Palace in Marrakech. This event included a study and awareness day in the Marrakech-Safi region, themed: “Tourist Hunting in Morocco: A Natural Wealth for Sustainable Development”.

This event is part of ongoing efforts to enhance the sustainable management of wild fauna heritage, preserve biodiversity, and further develop the tourist hunting sector in the Kingdom. It aims to promote natural resource valuation, energize rural areas, and support sustainable development.

The meeting was presided over by Mr. Abderrahim Houmy, Director General of the National Agency for Water and Forests, alongside Mr. Ahmed Moussaoui, President of the Royal Moroccan Hunting Federation. It was attended by hunters, hunting associations, representatives from the tourist hunting sector, local authorities, and institutional partners.

In his address, the Director General of the National Agency for Water and Forests highlighted that the past hunting season recorded positive developments across several key indicators in the sector. Specifically, it attracted more than 65,000 Moroccan hunters and nearly 5,000 tourist hunters.

He also noted that the number of hunting lots leased increased from 1,278 in the 2020-2021 season to 1,737 in the 2025-2026 season, following the launch of the national strategy “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030.” During this same period, the area leased rose from 3.35 million hectares to nearly 4.39 million hectares, underscoring the significance of leasing hunting rights as a mechanism for the sustainable management of hunting resources that respects wildlife preservation and ecological balance.

Mr. Houmy further emphasized the continued strengthening of partnerships in various areas related to the sector, including hunter training, anti-poaching efforts, natural habitat preservation, and biodiversity conservation.

In this context, the meeting also highlighted the growing dynamics of the tourist hunting sector in Morocco, with the contribution of 146 specialized companies, as well as the ongoing efforts to diversify hunting products and services, including the development of archery hunting. This contributes to enhancing the attractiveness of the activity and showcasing its tourist and environmental potential.

As part of this dynamic, the development of tourist hunting in Morocco has become a major focal point of the program for this event, given its role in enhancing natural and rural areas, energizing the local economy, and enriching and diversifying the national tourism offer.

As part of the program, a presentation focused on the management of hunting heritage in the Marrakech-Safi region was delivered, highlighting the potential of tourist hunting in the area and the prospects for its development.

The meeting also served as an opportunity to present the publication “Iconic Game of Morocco,” produced by the National Agency for Water and Forests, which highlights several game species present in Morocco and their importance in the country’s natural and hunting heritage.

This day also honored the experience of several seasoned hunters from the region, who shared their testimonies and experiences in the practice of hunting. They were recognized for their contributions to mentoring this practice, preserving the hunting heritage, and passing it down through generations.

In line with the hands-on approach characterizing this event, workshops dedicated to tourist hunting and archery hunting were also organized. Archery hunting represents one of the new products in Morocco’s tourist hunting sector, providing opportunities to diversify the hunting offer and enhance the attractiveness of Morocco as a destination. These workshops also explored the potential for developing new hunting products and promoting the national hunting heritage.

The program concluded with a field visit to a hunting lot leased to a company specializing in tourist hunting. Participants were able to discover the various infrastructures, facilities, and services offered to clients, illustrating the competitive potential of Moroccan tourist hunting on an international scale.

This visit also featured a practical simulation, conducted without the use of firearms, of a partridge release operation for collective hunting. Two technical presentations were also given, focusing respectively on the company’s experience in organizing collective partridge hunting and the practice of archery hunting in Morocco.

At the conclusion of this event, the National Agency for Water and Forests and the Royal Moroccan Hunting Federation reaffirmed their commitment to continue their efforts in fostering a responsible, ethical, and safe hunting practice, in line with the objectives of the national strategy “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030.”

Both parties emphasized that the development of the hunting sector relies on strengthening its governance and mobilizing all actors and stakeholders to achieve a balance between biodiversity preservation, sustainable management of hunting resources, enhancement of natural and rural areas, and contributions to the economic and social development of territories.