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greater or smaller EF. This focus should be allocated to energy use, especially in the sectors
using fossil fuel equipment.
It is also important to emphasize that data challenges were not limited to availability. The
latter was also associated with the form and structure of the data, as described in the chapter
(constraints). For instances, for the same information, the data is structured and described
differently: from the international to the national level (FAO code for agricultural and forest
products), from one wilaya to another (wilaya’s profile, more detailed in the case of Tipaza),
and from one administrative body to another within the same wilaya (fisheries division).
Furthermore, a lack of complementarity between socio-economic activities was observed, as
the information inventories neglected specific data (fuel consumption during fishing trips and
the surface area occupied by public equipment). It was noticed during the exchange with the
management entities that for each sector of activity, the managers analyze and develop
management plans limited to this activity without considering the usefulness of information
for the connected or dependent sectors. The state of data in Algeria is evidence of the
emerging utility and robustness of the bottom-up method. Indeed, as structured in this study,
the EF accounting provides a standardized framework for data collection and processing
across all sectors of activity based on data that they collect and can reflect on.
The present work demonstrates the applicability of downscaled EF to the cases of the wilayas
of Algiers and Tipaza. In addition, the information describing the ecological status of these
wilayas confirms the relevance of this indicator to support resource consumption
management and human activities monitoring policies.
However, decision-making should be aware that this tool is informative enough to investigate
sustainable consumption instead of sustainable development (SD). The EF examines one
aspect of SD, while SD comprises several dimensions that could be tackled from various angles.
Indeed, a country with particular natural assets, such as "fisheries production" or "minerals,"
could be struggling with economic progress if it does not possess the technologies to extract
and exploit these resources. By providing a detailed EF per component, the component-based
EF provides insights into which component to target and the impact occurrence. However, the
EF outcomes should be considered cautiously. For instance, Tipaza's fishing grounds'
ecological deficit should be reviewed. Indeed, in this study, Tipaza fishing grounds seem
smaller and insufficient to sustain the Tipaza fishing fleet's landings. A further investigation
comparing the required primary production (instead of physical areas) to sustain the fishing
activity revealed that Tipaza's coastal waters' available biomass is higher than the exploited
biomass.
The contribution of this study lies in the information and diagnosis that the multilevel model
provides to decision-makers to understand the challenges of achieving sustainability of a given
sector. We suggest applying this approach to a broader region for greater representativeness
and broader coverage of material and energy flows across sectors of activity. For example,
along the Algerian coast should be considered as a single study area to investigate the EF of
fishing. Furthermore, the following aspects should be considered for future studies:
greater or smaller EF. This focus should be allocated to energy use, especially in the sectors
using fossil fuel equipment.
It is also important to emphasize that data challenges were not limited to availability. The
latter was also associated with the form and structure of the data, as described in the chapter
(constraints). For instances, for the same information, the data is structured and described
differently: from the international to the national level (FAO code for agricultural and forest
products), from one wilaya to another (wilaya’s profile, more detailed in the case of Tipaza),
and from one administrative body to another within the same wilaya (fisheries division).
Furthermore, a lack of complementarity between socio-economic activities was observed, as
the information inventories neglected specific data (fuel consumption during fishing trips and
the surface area occupied by public equipment). It was noticed during the exchange with the
management entities that for each sector of activity, the managers analyze and develop
management plans limited to this activity without considering the usefulness of information
for the connected or dependent sectors. The state of data in Algeria is evidence of the
emerging utility and robustness of the bottom-up method. Indeed, as structured in this study,
the EF accounting provides a standardized framework for data collection and processing
across all sectors of activity based on data that they collect and can reflect on.
The present work demonstrates the applicability of downscaled EF to the cases of the wilayas
of Algiers and Tipaza. In addition, the information describing the ecological status of these
wilayas confirms the relevance of this indicator to support resource consumption
management and human activities monitoring policies.
However, decision-making should be aware that this tool is informative enough to investigate
sustainable consumption instead of sustainable development (SD). The EF examines one
aspect of SD, while SD comprises several dimensions that could be tackled from various angles.
Indeed, a country with particular natural assets, such as "fisheries production" or "minerals,"
could be struggling with economic progress if it does not possess the technologies to extract
and exploit these resources. By providing a detailed EF per component, the component-based
EF provides insights into which component to target and the impact occurrence. However, the
EF outcomes should be considered cautiously. For instance, Tipaza's fishing grounds'
ecological deficit should be reviewed. Indeed, in this study, Tipaza fishing grounds seem
smaller and insufficient to sustain the Tipaza fishing fleet's landings. A further investigation
comparing the required primary production (instead of physical areas) to sustain the fishing
activity revealed that Tipaza's coastal waters' available biomass is higher than the exploited
biomass.
The contribution of this study lies in the information and diagnosis that the multilevel model
provides to decision-makers to understand the challenges of achieving sustainability of a given
sector. We suggest applying this approach to a broader region for greater representativeness
and broader coverage of material and energy flows across sectors of activity. For example,
along the Algerian coast should be considered as a single study area to investigate the EF of
fishing. Furthermore, the following aspects should be considered for future studies: