Land policies impact on livestock typology and the dynamics of steppe rangelands in the region of Naâma (Western Algeria)

Abstract

Like all steppe areas, the land tenure system in the Naâma region (western Algeria) has undergone profound changes and upheavals over the centuries. The genesis of the current land tenure system is the product of historical conditions during three successive eras: the Ottoman period (before 1830), the colonial period (1830-1962) and independent Algeria (after 1962). The aim of this study is to understand the impact of recent land tenure policies in the last sixty years of independent Algeria on pastoral livestock farming methods and systems, as well as on the organization and dynamics of steppe rangelands in the Naâma region. A field survey was carried out among livestock owners, whose activities and practices are thought to be determining factors in the modification of the steppe landscape. The results reveal that land appropriation, development and sedentarization, supported by the public authorities, are following a growing trend, fragmenting the steppe’s vastness and affecting livestock-raising methods and systems. To mitigate the changes and upheavals taking place in the steppes, urgent measures need to be put in place along two main lines: the introduction of an occupancy plan for the steppes themselves, and the implementation of the necessary legal measures to reclaim land that has been diverted and put an end to the practice of land grabbing.