This dataset presents the Holocene fossil pollen record from the Merj Lkhil site in the Western Rif Mountains (Morocco), documenting ~7000 years of Cedrus atlantica forest dynamics at the northwestern distribution margin of the species. The 2.3 m sediment core spans from the early Northgrippian (~7118 cal yr BP) to the present and provides percentage data for individual taxa, functional groups (Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, Ferns, Hygrophytes), non-pollen palynomorphs, total pollen concentration, and charcoal counts (>100 μm). Located at higher elevation than other previously studied sequences in Jbel Bou Hachem, this record offers new insights into long-term forest composition, resilience, and ecological thresholds, and allows assessment of vegetation responses to Holocene climate variability, increasing aridity, and anthropogenic disturbance in the western Mediterranean.

This publication is part of the project I + D + i TED2021-132631B-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by NextGenerationEU/PRTR.

Coordinates: 35°15'13"N 5°25'56"W Altitude: 1213 masl Age range: 7118 cal yr BP – present