A massive national campaign to plant 5 million shrubs will be launched next Saturday, at the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, through the General Directorate of Forests, and with the participation of civil society activities and economic actors in a collective effort aimed at protecting ecosystems and consolidating the principles of environmental citizenship.
The Director of Land Reclamation and Afforestation at the General Directorate of Forests, Sabrina Rashidi, explained today, Wednesday, that this campaign, which was launched in partnership with the Green Algeria Association, uses civil society activities and economic actors to participate in the “national challenge to plant five million seedlings” within “an organized approach to environmental citizenship.”
She pointed out that more than 4 million seedlings were guaranteed by the economic operators supporting the operation, in addition to the seedlings provided by the Department of Forestry and Agricultural Services, in an initiative with a national dimension that aims to “improve environmental systems and enhance biodiversity,” and also falls within the framework of “Algeria’s international commitments in the field of mitigating the effects of climate change and land reclamation by 2030.”
According to the same source, the campaign adopts “a balanced approach between the environmental, economic, and decorative dimensions, as it will direct 71 percent of the programmed seedlings to forests, 26 percent to fruit trees, and 3 percent to ornamental trees.”
This initiative includes “planting 100,000 argan trees, a species of high environmental and economic value that aims to contribute to enhancing biodiversity while valuing local agricultural people adapted to arid and semi-arid areas.”
The selection of varieties is based on “accurate scientific criteria that take into account the peculiarities of each ecosystem, whether it is forest, steppe, or desert,” according to what Rashidi explained, noting that “each type is selected according to the extent of its adaptation to the soil, climate, and availability of water.”
In addition to the planting process, emphasis is placed on follow-up and sustainability of the process, the same official added, stressing that “the success of the afforestation campaign is measured by the survival of the seedlings after the first summer.”
In this regard, maintenance, watering, weeding and protection operations will be carried out by local administrations, municipal popular councils and citizens, especially in urban and semi-urban settings.
On the other hand, the same spokeswoman stated that afforestation campaigns are held regularly within the framework of volunteer work, accompanied by awareness-raising and environmental education activities, stressing that “the goal is not just planting, but rather making the planting operations successful through proactive programming, careful preparation of the sites, and sustainable involvement of all actors.”
Afforestation operations are based on central nurseries that include 67 public nurseries and about 60 private nurseries, with a larger number of them in the field.
This traceability of seedlings allows quality assurance while respecting a seasonal calendar linked to climatic conditions
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