PATRIMONIALISATION DES RESSOURCES GENETIQUES EN ALGERIE: AU RYTHME DE L’EROSION ET DE LA BIO-PIRATERIE

Abstract

Algeria, a territory with agro-ecological diversities which is revealed as an incredible heritage treasure whose dimension lies in its local specificities and its global projections. Indeed, the typicality of its biologic products, so diverse from one another, and with undeniable qualities presumed to be local products, largely testify to this. More than symbols, the palm tree in the Sahara and the sheep on the steppe seem to be the pillars of the national economy and the foundations of a centuries-old agrarian and agro-pastoral culture. Rather, it is a question of heritages with such varied wealth in terms of their components and the related products. The date palm constitutes the pioneering basis of Saharan agriculture, while sheep remain the provider of the much-prized meat product and the supplier of much sought-after wool. Both are unfortunately experiencing a real bloodletting in their genetic diversity affected by the combination of many factors, mainly in the image of a speculative logic and a bio-piracy marked by proven spoliation. It is an alarming observation about the loss and dispossession of indigenous biological materials that Algeria of the third millennium cannot tolerate. To prevent the disappearance of date varieties and the extinction of sheep breeds, their conservation, preservation, and protection require the establishment of a real policy to be undertaken as a matter of urgency.This is what this synthesis tries to highlight.