*2.1.1 Geographical location*

The wilaya (province) of Naâma is part of the southern high plains of Algeria; it extends between latitude 32° 08<sup>0</sup> <sup>45</sup>″ and 34° 22<sup>0</sup> <sup>13</sup>″ North, and longitude from 0° 36<sup>0</sup> <sup>45</sup>″ to 0° 46<sup>0</sup> <sup>05</sup>″ west. It covers an area of 3 million hectares. It is occupied by a population located along the Oran-Bechar road axis, i.e. 37% of the total area, which translates poor use of space. The region of Naâma has a large set of ecosystems and biological diversity. Administratively, the province of Naâma is limited (**Figure 2**):


**Figure 2.** *Geographic location of the study region (Naâma, Algeria).*
