The green dam, in Arabic "sadd al akhdhar" is one of the agro ecological projects of Algerian afforestation to fight the advancement of the desert.

This work was largely carried out not only by army soldiers but also by Algerian scouts under the orders of President Houari Boumedienne in 1970, 3 million hectares were to be planted.

The dam is a kind of forest belt that aims to stop the advancement of the desert to northern Algeria. It's length is extended to about 1500 kilometres.

The reforestation produced woodlands which helped to recover some of the missing forest land, create some pastoral lands, also reducing on the crossing over of sand from the desert (south) to the northern part. The choice of species of trees and shrubs has turned out to be naturally existing vegetation because the variety chosen was very robust and can survive without a great consumption of water.

The project has proven to be a success but the problem is that the follow-up is not made meticulously and the barrier deteriorates year after year.  The renewal is obligatory given the effectiveness and the ecological/beneficial impact on the environment and the preservation of fertile lands.