Un défi écologique sans précédent – Le Jeune Indépendant

A campaign that exceeds all expectations.

The vast tree planting operation launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, on the occasion of National Tree Day, exceeded all expectations. The milestone was exceeded with the planting of nearly 1.4 million trees nationwide.

According to the director of the General Directorate of Forests (DGF), Djamel Touahria, the national reforestation campaign, organized across all the wilayas of the country, exceeded the set objective of one million trees planted in just 24 hours. The operation resulted in the planting of more than a million trees. “More than 1.39 million trees have been planted,” he said yesterday during his appearance on National Radio, highlighting the support of civil society. “The operation was a success. These results were obtained thanks to the broad enthusiasm and strong participation of citizens, associations as well as effective cooperation between the State and civil society,” underlined Mr. Touahria. The unprecedented popular enthusiasm across the different wilayas of the country reflects, according to the director of the DGF, “a growing environmental awareness among citizens facing the dangers of climate change, desertification and global warming”.

This operation can therefore be described as the first of its kind, given its scale and national scope. This is also what Lamya Haider, deputy director of reforestation and nurseries at the DGF, said, saying that “this is an unprecedented ecological initiative”. It reflects, she specified, “a strong political will to restore natural ecosystems, to fight against desertification and to raise awareness among the population about environmental protection”.

Highlighting the objectives of this initiative, namely the strengthening of plant cover and restoration of degraded natural areas, the fight against against desertification and the effects of climate change, the preservation of biodiversity and the improvement of the quality of life of populations as well as the anchoring of an ecological and civic culture through collective participation in reforestation, she signaled the mobilization, by the DGF, of all the necessary means.

“To ensure the success of this vast tree planting operation, the General Directorate of Forests has mobilized significant human and material resources,” noted Ms. Haider. Forestry engineers, technicians and forestry agents spread across all 58 wilayas were mobilized, in addition to the participation of local communities, environmental associations, educational establishments and volunteer citizens, in a spirit of national mobilization, according to the explanations of the deputy director of reforestation and nurseries at the DGF.

Large material resources were also mobilized, which notably resulted in the provision of more than a million rustic forest and fruit plants and ornamental plants, produced in the DGF nurseries, which also made available all-terrain vehicles, planting equipment, agricultural tools, mechanized means for areas difficult to access, in addition to the supply of water for watering these plants.