| Algeria | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Location |
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| National websites |
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| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. |
2118 Kaloram Rd. NW Washington, D.C. 20008 |
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | Algeria has the fifth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second largest gas exporter; it ranks fourteenth for oil reserves. Besides natural gas, Algeria main industries consist of petroleum, light industires, mining, extrical, petrochemical, and food processing. Its main agricultural products are wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, and cattle. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | As in most of Africa, desertification is the major problem facing the environment of Algeria. Poor farming practices such as overgrazing are leading to soil erosion. Rivers and coastal waters are becoming extremely polluted due to the dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial toxins. These dumping practices are particularly affecting the Mediterranean Sea, which is being polluted with oil wastes and fertilizer runoff, and the soil that erodes from overgrazing also contributes to the pollution in the sea. All this, plus the ever-present desertification, is leaving Algeria with an inadequate supply of drinkable water. Finally, Algeria has not reached the ideal worldwide goal of having 10% of its land protected. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Land area |
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http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ag.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest |
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http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ag.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | |||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters |
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http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ag.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Population: |
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Density: |
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http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ag.html | |||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels: |
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Fraction of land area protected (%): |
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http://www.wri.org/wri/sdis/ctr_std/cs_afri.html | |||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas |
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| Endemic Species |
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http://www.wri.org/wri/sdis/data_tbl/
(in the Biodiversity pdf table) |
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| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendices | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | |||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES |
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| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention |
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| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity |
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| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty |
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| Member of International Whaling Commission |
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| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources |
Convention for the Establishment of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation International Plant Protection Convention International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Agreement for Establishing the Arab Agriculture Development Organization Agreement for the Establishment of a Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in North-West Africa Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat Amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil ,1954,concerning the Protection of the Great Barrier Reef Protocol for the Prevention of Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution Convention on the Prohibition of Military or any other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques Protocol concerning Mediterranean Specially Protected Areas Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution from Land-Based Sources United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea International Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean |
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| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries |
Marine fish catch = 90,000 tonnes (1993) |
http://www.wri.org/wri/sdis/ctr_std/cs_afri.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation |
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http://www.wri.org/wri/sdis/ctr_std/cs_afri.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | |||||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | |||||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | |||||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | Runoff from desertification and poor farming practices increases the siltation of the Mediterranean. The dumping of raw sewage and wastes created in the refinement of petroleum, one of Algeria's major industires. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | |||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | |||||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | |||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | |||||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Matt Hauske as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA