Episode 97 - Managing Nature: An experience from El Kala | With M Rafik Baba Ahmed

In this episode of Ecologia Podcast, we travel to El Kala, in the far east of Algeria, to a region whose ecosystems extend beyond the border between Algeria and Tunisia. Together with Mr. Rafik Baba Ahmed, an ecology expert and former Director of El Kala National Park, we explore the richness and diversity of this natural landscape, from forests, lakes, and wetlands to coastlines and mountains.But the conversation about El Kala quickly leads us to a broader question: How do we protect nature, and who has the authority to make decisions about it? We discuss the challenges of managing protected areas, the importance of scientific monitoring and long-term data, and the relationship between conservation and human activities. We also revisit one of the most significant battles led by defenders of the park against a highway crossing through it, including a petition that gathered 26,000 signatures but ultimately failed to stop the project.An episode about nature when it becomes, all at once, a matter of science, governance, law, and citizenship.We hope you enjoy the episode!