ENB:04:11
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ALGERIA:
Tewfik Abada, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
gave a summary of the Algerian national report on combatting
drought and desertification. He stated that land degradation is
due to irregularity of rainfall, lack of soils, and the breadth
of the temperature range. Other causes include: overgrazing,
growing population pressures, loss of tree cover, and
salinization. He described the Green Dam programme that includes
protection of existing vegetation, reforestation, development of
pastoral and agricultural lands, dune fixation, and development
of underground water. He stated that any plan of action should
involve the following phases: take local resources into stock;
evaluate ecosystems and periods of drought through observation
stations; upgrade national, scientific and human resources; and
increase the research potential.