Scientific and Technical Research Centre on Arid Regions - CRSTRA,  Biskra, Algeria

Address: Front de l’oued BP 1682 RP – 07000 Biskra. Algérie

Tel.: 00 213 33 73 42 14 Fax: 00 213 33 74 18 15

E-mail: crstra_biskra@yahoo.fr Web: http://www.crstra.dz

Creation

By Decree No. 91- 471 of 14 December 1991

STRUCTURE

The Scientific and Technical Research Centre on Arid Regions (C.R.S.T.R.A) is a public institution of a scientific and technical nature (EPST) established by Decree No. 91-478 of 14 December 1991, as amended by Decree No. 03-458 of 1 December 2003 and governed by executive decree No. 99-256 of 16 November 1999.  The centre, which has legal status and is financially independent, comes under the wing of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Chair of the scientific committee: Prof. BOUGEDOURA Nadia
Director General: Ms Fattoum LAKHDARI
Permanent staff of the Centre:
35 permanent staff + network of 350 associate research workers

OBJECTIVES 

The Centre is tasked with:

- implementing scientific and technical research programmes on arid regions and/or regions threatened by desertification or drought;
- undertaking or participating in any multidisciplinary research concerning arid regions;
- creating a scientific and technical database on arid regions and processing, storing and disseminating the data;
- participating in any research aimed at understanding and combating human vulnerability to environmental change.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

• Training
  
  
  
  
   

• Research

     The Centre runs training courses for research workers and support staff.  The most recent were as follows:

- 19-21 April 2005: “introduction to creating and installing a database”

- 29-30 May 2005: “introduction to writing scientific proposals for and setting up a project”

- scheduled for December 2005:  “International Course on Major Hazards”.

The research is spread over a network of divisions geared to objective-based research programmes:

Division 1: Biological resources in arid zones.

The objective is to catalogue, improve, conserve (in-situ and ex-situ banks) and enhance the biological resources of arid zones.

Division 2: Desertification monitoring   

 * Create networks to monitor the quality of the desert environment.

 * Develop tools to diagnose and reduce risks related to human activity.

 * Contribute to new types of sustainable management of arid and steppe regions.

  * Provide decision-making tools.

  * Develop an educational resource centre to provide local expertise for sustainable management of soil resources; reduce the risk of desertification.
* Control wind and water erosion.
* Diagnose the environmental risks related to soil use.

Division 3: Economic, social and cultural development of arid zones: Develop economic, social and cultural knowledge in order to improve living standards in arid zones.

Division 4: Water and soil resource management in arid zones

    1. Water quality
    2. Development of methods and treatment to combat pollution of resources and the natural environment and to minimise any negative impact (rise in the water table).

• Co-opEration

There is formal and informal co-operation at national and international level:

      1.  National:

* Universities, research centres and research/development agencies, Algerian Space Agency

* Technical and research institutes (agronomy, cartography, geographical information, etc)

* National Meteorological Office

      2.  International:

- Informal relations with other specialised centres in the EUR-OPA network

- the NEPAD, in the field of science and technology. The CRSTRA is regarded as a  regional centre

- Within the framework of ongoing international projects:

* OSS/Roselt: plan to set up monitoring centres in the steppes and high plains of Algeria

 * AUF Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie: in the field of architecture and planning in arid zones

- other projects introduced recently:

* Survey project:  “Desertification assessment and monitoring system”.  Duration:  5 years from March 2005.
* Life project: “Creation of a drought monitoring system in the southern Mediterranean:  Tunisia - Algeria – Morocco”.  Duration:  3 years.

Publication

 * Journals: Journal Algérien sur les Régions Arides ( N°04 June 2005 )

 * CRSTRA News (bimonthly publication)
 * Publication of scientific works
 * National and international papers (mainly in connection with the projects implemented at the Centre)
 * Thematic maps

SEminars AND
confErences

The CRSTRA organised or co-organised over 30 seminars between 1997 and 2005.  Examples of events include:

- Co-operation and co-ordination days for the research project on climate change  (DAYACLIM),  Biskra, 26 and 27 April 2005

- Technical days on water use in industry, Biskra, 31 May and 1 June 2005

- Study day on major hazard prevention in the context of sustainable development, Biskra, 22 June 2005

- Division 1: Biological resources in arid zones: workshop: “Biological resources in arid zones” CRSTRA (13 and 14 September 2005)
- Division 2: “Creation of a national network of desertification monitoring centres” organised by the CRSTRA, Djelfa, 26 and 27 September 2005
- Division 3: Economic, social and cultural development of arid zones:  workshop on the proposed projects, Biskra 21-22 June 2005
- - Division  4: workshop on water and soil resource management in arid zones:  presentation and study of the projects submitted, Biskra, 28-29 June 2005