Last updated: October 2021
The city of Algiers initiated in 2010 a project in order to establish a green belt around its areas and some northern municipalities. The project aims to create agro parks, allotment gardens as well as parks as a strategy for reintegrating the concept of the green belt into the Algerian territory. Through this intervention, the municipality aims to put into practice environmental values linked to improved quality of life and social well-being, for the benefit of the local community. The intervention plans to introduce different species of trees and include for the first time in Africa agro parks as spaces which are designed to reconcile urban and agricultural functions in a win-win strategy. The action was thought to respond to the impacts of climate change in the country, which faces rain events that are less frequent but more intense, and droughts that are more common and longer. (1,2,3,4)
Map of the green Belt of Algiers
https://www.academia.edu/39459170/Pdau_ALGER
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Green corridors and green belts
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
- Horticulture
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change mitigation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Green space creation and/or management
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Air quality improvement
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Protection of natural ecosystems
Project objectives
As the project encompasses the entire region of Algiers (but has the city at the heart of the project) its goals are also quite substantial and respond to the country's vulnerabilities provoked by climate change. The analysis of climate data from 1931 to 1990 in northern Algeria (where the capital is located) reveals a rise in temperature of 0.5 °C that would reach an increase of 1 °C by 2020, with an expected temperature rise of 2 °C by 2050. To this, one might add the decrease of water resources, declining agricultural yields, and encroaching desert, all painting a harrowing picture for the future. (6) In this sense, the Algerian authorities tried early on to find solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Therefore through this project, the initiator's aim:
1. To establish biological belts around the agglomerations for the protection of agricultural land against urbanisation (strengthening of productive potential, diversification of crops and improvement of landscape quality) and enhancement of natural spaces with the promotion of leisure and relaxation activities.
2. To preserve agricultural and forestry activities in a coherent and sustainable manner, so that they are economically profitable, by making them more productive and economically more interesting.
3. To create green zones integrated into the ecological structure, which perform an important function of decompression and balance of the urban environment.
4. To contribute to the fight against climate change and to improve the urban environment, by reducing emissions of CO2 and, consequently, by improving the quality of the air.
5. To contribute to biodiversity by maintaining ecological continuities (1,2).
Implementation activities
Even though the idea of a green belt was thought of as early as 2010, effective actions were taken only after 2015. Here and there the regional government alongside the forest authorities erected green areas: the public garden of Tafourah is one of the urban planning projects inaugurated in 2016 and registered in the framework of the master development plan and town planning of the will of Algiers (PDAU-2015-2035), aimed at improving the architectural cachet of the capital. Not too far away, the Sofia garden is also targeted. 23 parks were identified through Reghaïa, Rouiba and Dely Ibrahim, in addition to Kheraïssia parks (372 ha) and Cheraga (560), registered in addition to the Park
Dounia under the first stage pilot of the agro parks which will become part of the green belt. (4) Starting with 2019 the Directorate of Forests and the Green Belt has proceeded to the plantation of olive trees on nearly 8 hectares while waiting for climatic conditions favourable to continue planting a series of trees for scientific and educational purposes. (5)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
- Sustainable agriculture practices to reduce energy use or carbon emissions
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore ecological connectivity
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Non-government organisation/Civil Society
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Regional government
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The intervention was implemented by the Direction of forests and green belt of Algiers - Its mission is to ensure the development, administration, enhancement, protection and management of the forest heritage, within the framework of the national forest policy. Regional municipalities took part in the actions as well as regular citizens. (1,5)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(It is not mentioned directly in the sources but Algeria has a National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (2016) which aims at fighting climate change by protecting and creating ecosystems - forestry, marine, degraded land, mountains. The intervention through the creation of the agri parcs as well as the restoration of degraded land affected by wildfires and drought fits exactly into the plan. (7))
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The intervention was based on the Urban Management Plan of the region of Alger issued in 2010 and revised in 2015. (1))
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public national budget
- Public regional budget
Type of funding
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Enhanced support of pollination
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Education
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. WILAYA D’ALGER, (no date), PLAN DIRECTEUR D’AMÉNAGEMENT ET D’URBANISME DE LA WILAYA D’ALGER, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
2. Cresus (2018), Il s’agit d’une première expérience en afrique, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
3. Algerie (2018), Agriculture: Réhabilitation de 23 Agri-parcs à Alger, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
4. Algiers promotional magazine, (no date), Amenagement de la capitale, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
5. APS (2021), Plus de 300.000 arbres plantés à Alger dans le cadre du programme national de reboisement, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
6. F. Sahnoune, M. Belhamel, M. Zelmat, R. Kerbachi, Climate Change in Algeria: Vulnerability and Strategy of Mitigation and Adaptation,
Energy Procedia, Volume 36, 2013, Pages 1286-1294, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
7. Algeria's National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP, 2016) - parts of it, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
2. Cresus (2018), Il s’agit d’une première expérience en afrique, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
3. Algerie (2018), Agriculture: Réhabilitation de 23 Agri-parcs à Alger, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
4. Algiers promotional magazine, (no date), Amenagement de la capitale, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
5. APS (2021), Plus de 300.000 arbres plantés à Alger dans le cadre du programme national de reboisement, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
6. F. Sahnoune, M. Belhamel, M. Zelmat, R. Kerbachi, Climate Change in Algeria: Vulnerability and Strategy of Mitigation and Adaptation,
Energy Procedia, Volume 36, 2013, Pages 1286-1294, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
7. Algeria's National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP, 2016) - parts of it, available at Source link (accessed 8-10-2021)
Agro park
https://www.algerie-eco.com/2018/08/02/agriculture-rehabilitation-de-23-agri-parcs-a-alger/
Planting trees
https://www.aps.dz/societe/116375-plus-de-300-000-arbres-plantes-a-alger-dans-le-cadre-du-programme-national-de-reboisement
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the UNA global extension project funded by the British Academy.