The Korea Forest Service is joining forces with Algeria to work together on global reforestation.

The KFS and Algeria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently held the first Korea-Algeria Forestry Cooperative Committee to discuss restoring forests and parks in the African country.

“Although the cooperation is only in the initial stage, we believe that South Korea’s experience and technology will be highly useful in modernizing Ben Aknoun Amusement Park in Algeria and recovering the country’s denuded forests,” said a KFS official in a statement.

In October 2012, the KFS and Algeria’s Rural Development Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding to share Korea’s forest expertise and restore Algeria’s damaged forest ecosystem. 

Desertification and forest degradation have long been a pressing issue in Africa and especially in Algeria, Africa’s second-largest country, where only 1 percent of the nation’s 2.4 million-square-kilometer territory is forest.

In the southern part of Algeria, where the Sahara Desert is located, precipitation levels have been dropping fast and humid areas shrinking.

“Strategic partnerships in afforestation is crucial for Algeria, which shares similar forest conditions and demand for trees to South Korea,” a KFS official said.

As part of reforestation efforts, Korean forestry experts will help preserve native plants, prevent fire and plant new saplings, according to the KFS.

Algeria also asked Korea to support cultivating a cork oak tree forest across 300,000 hectares of its northern territory and in its semi-desert greenbelt region. This joint project is expected to be completed by 2019, the KFS said.

The Korean forest agency is currently collaborating with 28 countries, including Indonesia, Brazil, China, Uzbekistan, Russia and Turkmenistan.

The KFS’ global restoration efforts became clear in July, when it announced a $87 billion investment in setting up tree nurseries and conducting joint research on Kazakhstan’s environment over the next 10 years.

In June, the KFS signed the Cooperation for Forest Restoration and Sustainability with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization to counter Africa’s desertification.

By Lee Kwon-hyoung and Suk Gee-Hyun
(monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)