II. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND RISKS EVALUATION OF OFFSHORE DRILLING
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II.1.2.4
Guerbes - Sanhaja - Skikda wetland ecosystems
Wetlands are areas where water is a major determinant of the environment and associated plant
and animal life. They occur where the water table comes in or is close to the surface, or where
the earth is covered with water. They represent the most productive environments in the world.
The wetland complex of Guerbes Sanhadja (commune of Ben Azzouz wilaya of Skikda) is one
of the main reservoirs of the biodiversity of the Mediterranean basin with an area of 42000 ha;
plays an important role especially for irrigation and grazing (Fig 13). Is a large coastal plain
bordered to the west by the coastal hills of Skikda and to the east by the coastal forest massif of
Chetaïbi, was declared a RAMSAR area in 02/02/2001. (Abdi, 2014)
The altitudes of the zone are between 0 and 200 meters, 48.5% of the land has a slope less than
or equal to 3% and the rest at 12.5%. The main lithological units are mainly wind and alluvial
deposits (Boumezbeur, 2001).
Figure 13: Presentation of wetlands - Guerbes - Sanhaja complex (Boumezbeur 2001)