As part of the study contract for updating the zoning of El Kala funded by the Directorate General of Forests, the National Centre for Study and Analysis of Population and Development (CENEAP) invited the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory wetlands (MWO) / Tour du Valat to participate in the presentation of the preliminary results of the study in El Kala and Algiers, between the 22nd and 26th October 2011,. The MWO aimed to contribute by providing an international opinion on the situation of the park area set in a Mediterranean context, particularly with regard to the tools for balancing the trade offs between conservation and development, framed within an institutional framework and with a strategic approach.
Diagnosis of the area
The National Centre for Study and Analysis of Population and Development (CENEAP) concluded that despite the various pressures it faces -rural housing, urbanisation, road works, electricity infrastructure, water pollution, highway expansion and others- the park still retains much of its ecological functions. No significant changes were observed in the population of birds and the level of water bodies and groundwater. Also, the watersheds to the south were found to be relatively intact.
In urban and some rural areas, rural housing, urbanisation, waste and landfills spoil the landscape. Landscape fragmentation is mainly due to the construction of new roads and the expansion of National Road 44 and 48.
The route of the highway divides the southern area of the park. The work has been stopped due to a decision by Tunisia to not construct the expected junction as it passes through a protected area. If the decision by Tunisia is maintained, an 8 km track will not be used, reducing the impact on the park (no traffic, no ramp or other services related to the highway).
Of the complex of the seven wetlands of El Kala - Annaba, Lake Tonga, the Blue Lake, the Black Lake and Lake Fetzara, face a relatively stable situation with increases in bird population. Mellah Lake has been in a relatively stable situation for the last 10 years, but has a tendency towards salinization (widening of the access channel to the sea) and development of rural housing continuing on its southern area. The Lake of the birds also remained relatively stable; however it faces a continued, strong eutrophication tendency due to its proximity to urban centres and water shortages during the summer season. Lake Oubeira is under the most pressure, mainly due to high variations in water management, wastewater discharge and sedimentation related to the highway works. The marshes of the Mekada are still functional, but along national road 44 the habitat’s aesthetics have changed.
Local development plans as a tool to "green" planning for development in Algerian National Parks
The study of updating the zoning should be completed in March-April 2012. Preliminary findings show that the main challenges for the protection of the environment in the park are threefold: the institutional framework, governance and the division of the conservation-development network. An instrument that could potentially solve these three problems is integrated local planning. In lack of a single, integrated plan between the park- the nine municipalities that compose it and the public sectors- the new proposed zoning risks facing the same problems as the current one: the natural capital of the area will continue to be degraded and protected areas to be managed poorly, in favor of economic and social development which is not harmonious and has little respect of the protected areas.
The CENEAP proposed the development of local development plans formalised by a charter, where the municipalities (APC) act as decision centres based on their close work with small communities –mechtas- and families, as a means of resolving the latent conflict between the park with its conservation mandate and the actors of socio-economic development. This requires that the Park Management becomes more involved in development tools used by development actors, specifically in sectors (PSD) and municipalities (PCD). On the other hand, the sectors, Local Authorities and actors of other development mechanisms must enter into the logic of local and participatory strategic planning while at the same time integrating ecological, environmental and landscape concerns, which make this park one of the jewels of biodiversity – a Mediterranean Hotspot.
This proposal, supported by the MWO, was viewed favourably by both the Park Management and the Mayors of the municipalities concerned, as well as other actors like university representatives, the civil society, the Minister of Agriculture and the General Directorate of Forests. The CENEAP committed to start surveys at the community level, in the context of the current zoning study. The Minister of Agriculture gave his support to this initiative, as he would like to replicate in seven other parks in the country. The General Directorate of Forests (DGF) was mandated to prepare a paper for a series of projects set in the direction of this proposal. It is important to bear in mind that this move follows several national initiatives, often supported by international assistance. Indeed the El Kala has benefited from much international support (World Bank project, various studies, SMAP III, WWF Med Po, etc.). Finally, this new initiative could also benefit from international experiences on new concepts and methodologies still little known or used in Algeria like the creation of development plans in a conservation- development framework, the assessment of the value of ecosystems and the services they provide as well as environmental charters.
More: Laurent Chazee - chazee@tourduvalat.org