The Fir of Numidia: a Threatened Species

The fir of Numidia Abies numidica is a conifer species endemic solely to Algeria, where it covers an area of only 2,300 ha. It may find it in the humid forests of the high mountains of Babors (Mount Babor), as well as in east Kabylie between 1,300 and 2,000 m a.s.l. The location of Mount Babor on a high tray in the relief with steep slopes determining a cold and snow-covered climate is responsible for its environmental isolation and distinctive biological identity. Under these conditions, the difficult access difficult had provided a certain protection which caused the deterioration of some forest areas. That is why this forest includes some quasi-virgin parts where multi hundred-year-old fir trees die standing. Being found only in the forest of the Mount Babor, this endemism which is natural and rare should be kept and protected to avoid its counting among other missing species. To fulfil this purpose, Algeria uses the artificial regeneration.

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