Evaluation of the entomological biodiversity of the Maamora forest

This study aims to explore and valorize the entomological biodiversity of the Maamora forest through a structural study of the coleopteran population, which contributes to the proper functioning of this ecosystem. It is an inventory at the level of the cork oak forest of Maamora that took place over two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), using different types of traps and various sampling techniques. This inventory identified 17 orders of Arthropods. The order of Coleoptera is represented by 256 species, belonging to 42 families, subdivided into eight functional groups according to their diets. The calculated ecological indices confirm the significant diversity of the environment, with the Shannon index being greater than 4 and the Simpson index not exceeding 0.16. These results have complemented and updated the work of other studies conducted in the region and will fill the gap in information on beetles in the cork oak forests of Morocco. The presence of such insect biodiversity in the Maamora cork oak forest is an indicator of the important heritage value of the environment, which calls on managers and decision-makers
to protect it from the threats that weigh on this environment.