Background The Maghreb is characterised by one of the highest population growths in the world and a worrying degradation of natural resources. It is therefore particularly important to help Maghreb countries to reinforce their capacity to ensure a regular and reliable monitoring of the degradation processes, and in particular of desertification. To combat desertification, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership promotes the development of local and national strategies for cooperation and environmental planning. These strategies are based on adequate diagnostics and indicators, which implies access to geographical and environmental data, methodologies for treatment of these data, and the use of the information produced in the environmental action programmes and plans. However, the actual production, treatment, and dissemination of environmental information have to be improved in the Maghreb countries as this situation has a negative impact on the elaborated strategies, on the efficiency of the prevention measures, and on sustainable development. Objectives The project's overall objective is to contribute to the prevention of environmental degradation, and particularly desertification, through the improvement of information of environmental issues.The project’s specific objective is to reinforce Tunisian and Moroccan capacities for the elaboration, management, use, exchange, and dissemination of environmental indicators. This work on environmental indicators will be implemented through pilot systems either within the ministerial services in charge of environment and desertification or by separate organisations nominated by the ministerial services. To achieve these objectives the project will implement the following activities: · Set-up of monitoring units in Morocco and Tunisia; · Set-up of analysis units in Morocco and Tunisia; · Elaboration and validation of desertification indicators; and · Development of the exchanges and of the partnerships between Tunisia and Morocco and the neighbouring countries. Algeria has been associated to some activities of the project. Results The project achieved most of the planned results. However, some activities have not been finalised within the project duration. The monitoring and analysis units were set-up in Morocco and Tunisia during the Preparation Phase. The respective national centres for remote sensing are hosting these units while the institutional conditions are not in place so other organisations are playing this role. The inventories of existing resources and the analysis of the necessary resources were also carried out during the Preparation Phase. The project identified and validated the desertification indicators at the macro level including setting up a geocatalogue and an environmental database. The project also elaborated an agro-ecological zoning at a scale of 1/1 000 000. The project started the elaboration and validation of the indicators at meso level which have been completed after the end of the activities of the project.The beneficiary established a method for calculating and analysing the vulnerability of areas subjected to desertification. The beneficiary organised regional workshops to coordinate project activities between Morocco and Tunisia. The project website is operational. The preparatory work for the elaboration of the CD-Rom, the project brochure and the video is completed. However, these communication products are not available.