El-Marsa Forest, also referred to as Forest Roussegonia or Aguellou n'Tamentfoust, is a forest situated within the commune of El-Marsa, within the

Algiers Province Algiers Province (, ', ; ) is a Provinces of Algeria, province (wilayah) in Algeria, named after its capital, Algiers, which is also the national capital. It is adopted from the old Departments of France#Departments of Algeria (Départements d'Al ...

. It is overseen by the Directorate of Forests and the Green Belt (CFA), and its activities are subject to the supervision of the General Directorate of Forests (DGF).

Location

El-Marsa Forest is situated at a distance of 18 kilometers east of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, 70 kilometers east of

Tipaza Tipaza () is the capital of the Tipaza Province, Algeria. When it was part of the Roman Empire, it was called '' Tipasa''. The modern town was founded in 1857, and is chiefly remarkable for its ancient ruins and sandy littoral. History Ancient h ...

, and 4 kilometers from the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. It is located within the commune of El Marsa, within the

Mitidja Mitidja, (Arabic: ) is a plain stretching along the outskirts of Algiers in northern Algeria. It is about long, with a width of . Traditionally devoted largely to agriculture and serving as the breadbasket of Algiers, the area has in recent decad ...

Plain, in the

Petite Kabylie Petite Kabylie or Petite Kabylia (Berber: Tamurt n Iqbayliyen, Arabic: al-Qabā'il as-Saghra, القبائل الصغرى, Maghrebi Arabic: Qbayel es-Sghira) is a natural region in the mountainous area of northern Algeria. The Petite Kabylie is ...

History

El-Marsa Forest is overseen by Decree No. 45-84, dated February 18, 1984, which has been amended and supplemented by Decree No. 09-07, dated January 11, 2007. The forest constitutes the eastern boundary of the Bay of Algiers. The shrubs that populate this forest were the source of its Phoenician name, "Roussegonia," which translates to "Head of the Shrubs." The proximity of this woodland to the Tamenfoust Port also contributed to its

Amazigh Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connections are identified by their u ...

name, Aguellou n'Tamentfoust, which translates to "the forest on the right side." This name is derived from its location on the right side relative to the mountaineers who descended towards

Icosium Icosium (Punic: , "Island of the Owls"; , ''Ikósion'') was a Phoenician and Punic settlement in modern-day Algeria. It was part of Numidia and later became an important Roman colony and an early medieval bishopric (now a Latin titular see) in t ...

(ancient Algiers) in past centuries. El-Marsa Forest is situated to the northeast of the ancient archaeological site of Roussegonia, to the east of the old city and the Tamentfoust Port. This forest once constituted the perimeter of the Bordj Tamentfoust, an Ottoman fortress dating back to the period of the

Regency of Algiers The Regency of Algiers was an Early modern period, early modern semi-independent Administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman province and nominal Tributary states of the Ottoman Empire, vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Afr ...

Reforestation

El-Marsa Forest has benefited from the national

reforestation Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...

plan, which was designed to protect and enhance its natural forest resources. To protect the forest, the perimeter has been enclosed with fences; however, this area has been significantly reduced from 13 hectares to 9.5 hectares due to the expansion of the urban fabric.

Wildlife

There are a few mammal species in the forest, such as the Algerian hedgehog ( ''Atelerix algirus''), the European rabbit (''

Oryctolagus cuniculus The European rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') or coney is a species of rabbit native to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal and Andorra) and southwestern France. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Oryctolagus''. The European ra ...

''), the cape hare ( ''Lepus capensis''), and the wild boar (''

Sus scrofa The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is n ...

'').Oliver, W. L. R.; et al. (1993). "The Common Wild Pig (''Sus scrofa'')". In Oliver, W. L. R. (ed.). ''Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos – 1993 Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan''. IUCN SSC Pigs and Peccaries Specialist Group. pp. 112–121. .

References

{{reflist Forests of Algeria

Location

History

Reforestation

Wildlife

See also

References