Mauritania is preparing a programme to protect Benichab, in Inchiri region, from advancing sand, Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Messouda Mint Baham Ould Mohamed Laghdaf said on Monday, October 12. The proposals include a 250-hectare green belt and stabilisation of 50 hectares of dunes in the most exposed areas.
Speaking to the Mauritanian News Agency at her ministry in Nouakchott, she said field assessment and the identification of priorities were complete. Technical studies and preparations will continue over the coming months, ahead of a phased rollout whose main stages are intended to be completed in 2027.
Planned nurseries would have capacity to produce up to 100,000 seedlings annually, while a well would be equipped to supply irrigation water. The minister said priority would go to local, climate-suited species able to withstand drought and stabilise soil. The green belt is intended to help protect homes and infrastructure from sand encroachment.
Other components include planting trees along three main streets totalling three kilometres and creating five green spaces in the town. The ministry also plans to distribute 2,000 improved cookstoves to the most vulnerable households to reduce firewood use and pressure on vegetation.
The minister said results should be judged by tree survival and growth and the belt's effectiveness in slowing sand encroachment, not just the number of seedlings planted. She called for local authorities, elected representatives and residents to help protect equipment and maintain the trees and green spaces.
