Wildlife of
Algeria

Primary Threats

• Most acute along the Mediterranean strip and Tell Atlas where wetlands, coastal dunes, and lowland forests are converted or fragmented by housing, industry, ports, and irrigated agriculture. In the High Plateaus, steppe habitats are simplified by land conversion, overgrazing, and expansion of cultivation, reducing cover and forage for steppe wildlife and increasing erosion.
• Rising temperatures and more frequent/intense droughts amplify desertification in the steppe belt, increase wildfire risk in northern forests, and shrink/alter hydroperiods of coastal and inland wetlands that support migratory birds. Heat and water stress also threaten oasis agro-ecosystems and groundwater-dependent desert biodiversity.
• Urban and industrial wastewater and solid waste affect nearshore waters and coastal wetlands (notably around major cities and ports). Hydrocarbon extraction/transport (oil and gas fields, pipelines) and associated infrastructure in Saharan regions can create localized soil and water contamination risks. Agricultural runoff and pesticides can degrade wetland water quality and food webs.
• Non-native plants and animals can establish around irrigated perimeters, reservoirs, and wetlands, outcompeting native vegetation and altering habitat structure; feral/roaming cats and dogs around settlements and tourist nodes can increase predation pressure on ground-nesting birds and small vertebrates, including in protected-area fringes.
• Disease risks are often linked to high livestock densities in the steppe and around oases, where contact with wild ungulates/carnivores can facilitate spillover. Canid diseases (e.g., rabies and canine pathogens) and livestock-borne parasites can affect wildlife in human-dominated landscapes near park boundaries.
• Illegal or poorly controlled hunting persists in parts of the steppe and Sahara (including poaching of gazelles and hunting pressure on bustards and other ground birds). Access tracks and vehicles in open landscapes can make wildlife more vulnerable and complicate enforcement over vast areas.
• Capture and sale of wild birds (including songbirds and raptors) and trade in reptiles occur via local markets and cross-border routes. Demand can concentrate pressure near accessible habitats and transport corridors, and enforcement is challenging across long land borders and remote desert regions.
• Along the Mediterranean coast, fishing pressure (including illegal gear and nearshore habitat impacts) can reduce stocks and affect sensitive habitats such as seagrass meadows (Posidonia) and coastal nursery areas. Bycatch and habitat disturbance are concerns where trawling or intensive coastal fisheries operate close to shore.
• Tourism and recreation (beaches, coastal parks; desert tours in Tassili n'Ajjer/Ahaggar) can disturb breeding birds, degrade dunes, and damage fragile desert soils via off-road driving. Visitation also increases pressure on water and waste management in remote protected areas.
• In rural northern Algeria and parts of the Tell/Atlas, crop and orchard damage by wildlife (and occasional livestock predation by canids) can lead to retaliatory killing or support for culling. Conflict is also reported around forest edges and expanding agricultural frontiers where wildlife loses refuge habitat.
• Fragmentation of northern forests and shrublands (roads, settlements, agriculture) can isolate populations (e.g., forest-dependent mammals), reducing gene flow. For rare Saharan fauna, naturally low densities combined with poaching and habitat disruption can further reduce effective population sizes.
• Groundwater extraction for irrigation and urban supply in the High Plateaus and Saharan oases can lower water tables, stress date-palm oasis systems, and reduce the persistence of springs/gueltas and wetland mosaics. Overgrazing in the steppe depletes vegetation and soil fertility, accelerating rangeland collapse.
• Roads, pipelines, powerlines, dams, and expanding transport/energy corridors fragment habitats, open remote areas to hunting, and can cause wildlife mortality (collisions/electrocution). Coastal infrastructure (ports, seawalls) alters sediment dynamics affecting beaches, dunes, and nearshore habitats.
• Dams and water diversions modify river flow regimes feeding wetlands and estuaries, changing salinity and flooding patterns critical to waterbirds. Fire regime changes (including increased ignition sources and suppression challenges) modify forest structure; steppe restoration actions can also simplify habitats if not designed for biodiversity outcomes.
• Irrigated agriculture and new perimeters in the steppe and near wetlands can replace native vegetation, increase pesticide/fertilizer loads, and drive groundwater depletion. Cultivation encroachment on marginal lands accelerates erosion and reduces habitat continuity between Atlas ranges and steppe systems.
• Coastal urban growth (Algiers-Blida corridor, Oran, Annaba and other hubs) consumes wetlands and agricultural plains, increases wastewater and solid waste loads, and fragments nearby protected areas (e.g., peri-urban forest parks). Secondary urbanization along highways extends impacts inland.
• While industrial logging is less dominant than in some regions, cutting for fuelwood and localized timber extraction-combined with recurrent fires-can degrade Aleppo pine, cork oak and mixed oak forests in the Tell/Atlas, reducing structural complexity and increasing erosion and landslide risk.
• Extraction of minerals and aggregates (including quarrying for construction materials) can destroy or fragment habitats, generate dust and noise, and affect water resources. In arid and semi-arid areas, even small disturbances can be long-lasting due to slow vegetation recovery.