Dounya Park

The Dounya Park Project is a major environmental and cultural development project¹ in Algiers, located in the Dely Ibrahim neighborhood. Initiated on December 15, 2011,^{2 3}the project envisions a “world-class central park designed to highlight Algeria’s rich environment diversity to the world”.⁴
The project serves as a leisure, educational, and ecological hub, aligning with broader sustainability and biodiversity conservation efforts and the Spanish Cooperation Strategy. Key goals include:⁵

• preserving and enhancing Algeria’s natural heritage
• strengthening cultural and institutional cooperation between Algeria and Spain
• fostering economic and social development via renewable energy research
• raising environmental awareness about through education and community engagement
• promoting food sovereignty by integrating traditional and modern agricultural techniques

Covering 800 hectares, the Dounya Park Project is divided into:⁶

• 630 hectares of a national public park, encircled by a forestation belt
• 170 hectares are allocated for residential and recreational facilities

To implement these objectives, the project includes the following components:

• The Andalusian Garden (7 hectares): a modern reinterpretation of a Hispano-Muslim garden, blending aesthetics with sustainable irrigation via a central water channel.⁷
• 18-hole Golf Course: a fully equipped course, enhancing leisure and tourism development.⁸
• Mixed-use urban development: Residential and recreational areas, including hotels, offices, and retail spaces, supporting community and economic growth.⁹
• Educational and conservation areas: dedicated spaces for biodiversity conservation, environmental education programs, and sustainable agriculture demonstrations.¹⁰
• Traditional and sustainable agricultural zones: olive and cork-oak forests alongside other Mediterranean crops, reviving Algeria’s agrarian practices.¹¹
• Renewable energy and water management systems: environmentally friendly and sustainable water resource management.¹²

The project integrates both traditional and modern ecological practices, ensuring long-term environmental and economic benefits,¹³ particularly through the cultivation of Mediterranean crops like olive trees and cork-oak forests. Additionally, the park features energy-saving installations and water-efficient irrigation techniques and eco-friendly resource management systems for promoting conservation and minimizing environmental impact.¹⁴

The project is led by the Algerian Ministry of Environment and Land Management, in partnership with the Islamic Culture Foundation, and local and international consultants, such as the Architecture and Agronomy Studio led by Teresa Gali and architect Manuel Ocaña,¹⁵ and the Environmental Department of the Government of Andalusia, providing Mediterranean trees for the initial afforestation efforts.¹⁶
The implementation is structured in phases, with the first phase focusing on tree plantation and landscape development.¹⁷