El Kala National Park
Encyclopedia
The national park
of El Ka la (Arabic: الحديقة الوطنية القالة) is one of the national parks of Algeria, in the extreme north-east of the country. It is home to several lake
s (including Lake Tonga, whose name is unrelated to Tonga
) and a unique ecosystem
in the Mediterranean basin, it was created in 1983 and recognized as a biosphere reserve
by the UNESCO
in 1990.
The park is threatened by the creation of a highway
in Algeria
, which would threathen the rare animal
s and plant
s of the park. It has been proposed that the highway should avoid this region and go further south.
El Kala National Park and Biosphere Reserve is home to 40 species of mammals, 25 bird of prey species, 64 freshwater bird species and 9 marine bird species. The Barbary stag
is prevalent in the park.
The park averages 30,000 visitors per year.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
of El Ka la (Arabic: الحديقة الوطنية القالة) is one of the national parks of Algeria, in the extreme north-east of the country. It is home to several lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s (including Lake Tonga, whose name is unrelated to Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
) and a unique ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
in the Mediterranean basin, it was created in 1983 and recognized as a biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
by the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 1990.
The park is threatened by the creation of a highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
in Algeria
Transport in Algeria
- Railways :There are a total of 3,973 km of railways: 2,888 km is standard gauge, with 283 km of that being electrified and 215 km of that being double tracked...
, which would threathen the rare animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s and plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s of the park. It has been proposed that the highway should avoid this region and go further south.
El Kala National Park and Biosphere Reserve is home to 40 species of mammals, 25 bird of prey species, 64 freshwater bird species and 9 marine bird species. The Barbary stag
Barbary stag
The Barbary stag , or Atlas deer is a subspecies of red deer that is native to North Africa.-Description:...
is prevalent in the park.
The park averages 30,000 visitors per year.