Puzzling out the deriving forces of desertification in the high Algerian steppe plains

The sedentarisation of shepherds at the margins of the dessert and the introduction of private land ownership in the high Algerian Steppe plains has led to deep transformations of the way of dwelling that increase desertification. There is an urgent need to understand this process of transformation and its drivers, which are more anthropogenic than natural. Based on field observations, an oral survey with 188 household heads and statistical analyses, the paper describes the process of desertification where short term economic strategies and political misunderstanding are the key elements