81261358-Schutz der Umwelt und Biodiversität in Küstenregionen Algeriens (PEBLA)

The project ‘Protection of the environment and biodiversity in Algeria's coastal regions’ is geared to improving integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) in selected areas of Algeria's coastal zone. Besides updating the National Strategy for ICZM, it supports the sustainable valorisation of selected terrestrial and marine ecosystem services (ESS) and the (re-)designation and management of selected marine and coastal protected areas. Algeria's coastline, which is around 1 622 km long, has a high level of biodiversity and a mosaic of different ecosystems of great ecological importance. Around 40 percent of the Algerian population lives in the coastal area, although this only accounts for 1.7 percent of Algeria's surface area. This population density causes the destruction of coastal biotopes through settlement and urbanisation, infrastructure development and industrial development. Other environmental challenges are the uncontrolled influx of agricultural, industrial and private wastewater and the increasing, in some cases illegal, construction activity to develop seaside resorts and hotels along the entire Algerian coast. Another growing problem is the overuse of agricultural land and coastal vegetation by the population, as well as the illegal mining of sand on beaches and in the dunes. In the area of fisheries, the Algerian Government has set up a programme to renew and increase the size of the fishing fleet and develop aquaculture. The plan includes 112 stations for the development of aquaculture farm projects along the Algerian coast. This programme needs to be well planned and prepared in advance, on the one hand to prevent overfishing by the enlarged fishing fleet and on the other hand to prevent the pollution of marine waters through aquaculture. In the future, these anthropogenic activities along the Algerian coast are threatened by the consequences of climate change (e.g. flooding, especially erosion in water catchment areas, etc.). To date, the area of marine protected areas (MPAs) accounts for just under 1 percent of Algeria's territorial waters, but it is planned to multiply this figure in order to achieve the area target for implementing the Biodiversity Convention (Aichi Target 11) of 10 %. This project is supposed to support the designation of new MPAs such as the island of Rachgoun, the Monts de l'Edough on the east coast of the country and of Habibas Islands in western Algeria as a marine reference reserve with a participatory management. Participatory approaches to the planning and management of protected areas are little known in Algeria and have therefore not been introduced. Derivation of the project objective: Despite the efforts of the Algerian government to strengthen the political framework, the implementation of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) measures is still insufficient. Causes and assessment of changeability: The key actors who have to implement the SN GIZC are not sufficiently familiar with such a multisectoral planning and coordination exercise. Moreover, the Ministry of Environment, as the most important central actor for the implementation of the strategy, does not have sufficient resources for planning, cross-sectoral coordination and continuous monitoring of the implementation of ICZM measures. The planning guidelines for the participatory management of marine and coastal protected areas are still lacking. The effectiveness of the management of protected areas is usually low due to insufficient capacities of management structures, overlapping mandates and inadequate management instruments. This is exacerbated by weak participation mechanisms for the local population. At the level of users of terrestrial and marine ecosystem services (ESS), a strengthening of capacities for their sustainable development is required. So far, concepts and implementation experience are only available on a pilot basis.