LAND MASTERY, MAJOR ISSUE FOR WETLANDS CONSERVATION IN RURAL AREAS: Case of Macta in northwestern Algerian.

Context and backgroundThe Macta wetland is a coveted and fragile area with a biodiversity hot-spot on the Algerian western coast and the southern shore of the Mediterranean. This rural area is affected by the increase of human activity linking, mainly, agricultural and pastoral practices. In the context of put into nature reserve for this wetland, the land mastery has become a major issue that currently represents a determining factor in the relationship between man and nature, on the one hand, and in the competition between interest groups for the exploitation of land and natural resources, on the other.Goal and Objectives:This study aims to analyze the influence of agricultural development policies and those of land on the implications of the actor’s active in the field and their interference with the initiatives to protect the Macta wetland.The objective was to identify the land and ecological issues at stake in putting into reserve this fragile rural space in order to establish a territorial development more adapted to the socio-economic and environmental conditions.Methodology:The working method adopted is based on the mapping of land using Geographic Information Systems with a diachronic approach covering the different stages of agrarian reform from the colonial period until today. The work was completed by field observations and interviews with actors active in the areaResults:Frequent changes in the policy of the agricultural sector have led to the appearance of over 9400 ha of surplus land,  or 50% of the area studied (municipality of Moctadouz), in which the interventions of the management authorities for the setting in nature reserve overlap with an agricultural development action by the locals. This has led to a number of problems represented by difficulties in the mastery of land use and land management, as well as conflicts between actors. These constraints have impacted all attempts to make the wetland a heritage site