Where camels die of thirst: Morocco’s oasis emergency

Before It’s Gone is a series about the climate crisis and water scarcity in Morocco by photographer M’hammed Kilito, who highlights the degradation of countless oases

Oases constitute an original ecosystem, based on the right balance of three elements: the abundance of water, the quality of the soil and the presence of date palms. They are located in arid and semi-arid regions and are considered an ecological bulwark against desertification and an important refuge for biodiversity. The exhibition Thirst: In Search of Freshwater at the Wellcome Collection, which explores humanity’s vital connection with fresh water, runs until 1 February 2026

With their parasol-shaped foliage, date palms create a humid microclimate favourable to the development of plants. However, they are in rapid decline. According to official statistics from the Moroccan ministry of agriculture, the country has lost two-thirds of its 14m palm trees over the last century. And for the past 20 years, the delicate balance of these desert islands of greenery has suffered from the impacts of human intervention and climate change

M’hammed Kilito says: ‘Over the past four years, I have mainly documented life in oases and the effects of global warming such as desertification, drought and fires. I intend to better understand the specificity and organisation of different oasis spaces and local communities in the face of climate change.’ He says he ‘will also aim to learn more about best practices and different approaches and programmes applied to the valorisation, conservation and sustainable development of oases’.

In documenting life in the oases, Kilito has focused on the complex issues of oasis degradation in Morocco and its impact on their inhabitants. His work is also a call to protect the ancestral heritage of the nomadic culture in Morocco as well as the oasis ecosystem

The construction of wells has made it possible to recover new and larger desert areas for cultivation, making water available on demand. But this well is Tighmert’s only water source, and the level of the water table has dropped drastically over the last five years

A traditional water distribution system. Water management is a major problem for the future of Moroccan oases: building wells is a structural issue, and sustaining them is a climatic one

Mohammed’s family is one of four still living in the village of Ait M’hanned next to Tighmert Oasis. Previously, the village was home to 100 families. The potter explains that due to global warming and lack of work, most families have moved further north to cities such as Guelmim and Agadir

Every Sunday morning, Mohammed goes out very early to collect wood to fire the pottery he has crafted that week. Kilito says: ‘I have visited many oases, where I have made strong connections with their inhabitants. I was able to understand this rich environment but also its glaring realities. I realised that desertification, recurrent droughts and fires, changes in agricultural practices, overexploitation of natural resources, rural exodus, and the sharp drop in the water table are all imminent threats to the existence of oases’

Kilito says: ‘According to an inhabitant of the Tighmert Oasis, who accompanied me, this is a camel that got lost in the desert and died of thirst’

The yellow bee is a species endemic to the Sahara that is threatened with extinction. Decimated by the massive spraying of insecticides in response to locust invasions during the 1980s and 90s, its population has drastically declined. Hayat is a beekeeper who calls the yellow bee a guardian of the unique biodiversity that underpins the richness of this region. She sees safeguarding it as her duty: if the bee becomes extinct, so will the oasis

To build water towers, the inhabitants of the oases form associations. Each family gives a certain amount of money to build a tower and to benefit from it

Kilito calls youth emigration a major problem for the oases. ‘Many young people I met are considering crossing illegally to the Canary Islands due to global warming, water crises and lack of job opportunities. The oases need their youth to take care of them.’ Hicham migrated to France, but after a year of difficult and poorly paid jobs, he returned to Morocco. ‘Today, Hicham is a fulfilled young man, happy to be in Morocco. He works in a school and is active in the education and associative field’

In 2019, Greenpeace warned of the threat of extinction facing oases due to the considerable impact of high temperatures on their water resources, resulting in a decrease in agricultural and livestock activities and the displacement of their populations. The organisation says the frequency of droughts has increased over the past 20-40 years in Morocco from once every five years to once every two years

Cover photo:  Dead palm trees at the edge of the oasis of M'hamid El Ghizlane Photograph: M'hammed Kilito