[ecr]

In a meeting with forestry officials at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Forests (DGF), Cherfa underscored the need to “list the material and human resources necessary for preparing the national plan and completing the program for opening fire access roads and firebreaks.”

In order to take action before May 2024, a national commission responsible for forest protection will be set up “as soon as possible” and in coordination with the relevant ministerial sectors, the minister said, emphasizing the importance of proactive wildfire control, particularly across the 37 provinces impacted in 2023.

In this regard, he called for starting the census and equipment operation of water sources, in addition to developing a digital map of the locations of these sources and implementing the program for rehabilitation and restoration of degraded forest landscapes in 39 provinces while setting a deadline of April 2024 for the implementation of all the programs outlined.

The Minister also stressed the importance of using new technologies, such as satellites and drones, to define surfaces and detect fire sources, through the complete digitization of the intervention system, and by involving the relevant organizations and administrations, as well as startups.[/ecr]