Official: Mauritania one of the Sahel countries most affected by desertification

Mauritania suffers from a deterioration of its natural resources, he said at a national meeting in Nouakchott, organised by the Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with UNDP, UNEP and the German Cooperation Agency in anticipation of updating the plan for the Mauritanian fight against desertification and its implementation in line with the UN Convention on the fight against desertification.

He pointed out that the forestry heritage covered in 2001, an estimated area of ​​4.38 million hectares, according to an FAO report, noting that the country's timber production is in the order of 565,000 cubic meters , against the consumption needs of about 1.8 million m3.

The secretary general, said the average annual demand is 190 kg per inhabitant for wood and 38.9 kg per capita coal, which resulted, according to him, results in the disappearance of 4,000 ha of forest per year.

He said that desertification threatens 70 per cent of the total area of ​​Mauritania, calling on all stakeholders to mobilise against this phenomenon in order to mitigate the adverse effects, according to a participatory approach, giving priority to communities in rural areas.