More than 1.3 million trees were planted during the national reforestation campaign, organised on Saturday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Fisheries, across the entire national territory, stated the Director-General of Forests, Djamel Touahria, on Sunday.
Invited to the morning show on Channel 1 of Algerian Radio, Mr. Touahria stated that this campaign, organised in collaboration with the “Algeria Verte” association, exceeded the set target, namely one million trees, bringing the number of trees planted to 1.390 million of different species, notably fruit trees, such as the olive tree, pistachio tree, and carob tree, depending on the geographical specificity of each region.
This figure was achieved thanks to the massive support of civil society, all categories included, according to the director general, who emphasised in this context that the high turnout at many planting sites necessitated the use of additional areas.
In this regard, Mr. Touahria called on all concerned parties, particularly civil society, to monitor the planting sites by regularly watering the shrubs, in order to ensure their growth and thus the success of the campaign.
After recalling the importance of this campaign for the expansion of forest areas, the rehabilitation of burned areas, and the fight against desertification, the Director General of Forests indicated that the campaign will continue until March 21st.
Regarding the reforestation operations carried out within the framework of the Green Dam, Mr. Touahria specified that the latest assessment reports 26,000 hectares reforested, with a campaign success rate of around 98%, thanks to the combined efforts of all concerned parties and the use of specialists in the field.
Efforts are continuing to achieve the goal set for 2030, namely the reforestation of 400,000 hectares, he continued.
Answering a question relating to the national campaign for the prevention and control of forest fires, Mr Touahria indicated that his services had recorded, since the launch of the campaign last May, 880 outbreaks of fire at the national level, a decrease of 80% compared to previous years, a “very positive” result, according to him.
These fires affected a total area of 4,090 hectares, including 900 hectares of forest areas and 200 hectares of orchards, with the remainder being divided between scrubland and brush.