For many years, Algeria has faced the challenge of desertification. Indeed, the coastal band of vegetation continues to shrink as the desert advances. This phenomenon is particularly noticeable across the high plateaus and steppe zones.
Of the 20 million hectares that make up the Algerian steppe, nearly 7 million hectares are now completely degraded due to desertification and grazing by a livestock population estimated at 14 million head.
The project’s target area, located in the department of Djelfa, 300 km south of Algiers, faces numerous problems, including desertification, but also land use for agricultural and pastoral purposes, illegal forest logging, and human-caused pollution, among others.
The objective is to convert part of the forest and steppe into a protected reserve, where biological balance can be restored and all environmental issues addressed. The project’s main beneficiaries are local population groups, including young people, children, residents living near the site, and local authorities.