Forest fires damage ecology in Algeria

Forest fires in Batna that spread over 5,000 hectares over the past 20 days have caused an ecological catastrophe in the region, El Khabar reported on Wednesday (August 8th). Thousands of rare plants and trees in the forests of Bni Fdala and Larbaa Municipalities, 20 of which could be found only in Algeria and Morocco, were destroyed. Many rare birds and animal species died, the paper quoted the local forest department as saying.