The city of Laâyoune, the capital of the southern provinces, will see the implementation of a series of projects for the protection of the environment in this region. Thus, the latter will see the creation of a green belt to the north of Laâyoune over an area of approximately 75 hectares for an amount estimated at more than 2.91 million DH. This also involves planting this area with trees and equipping it with a drip irrigation system, as well as its rehabilitation through the construction of a fence and a sports circuit and the development of a space for children. This also includes the completion of a study for the installation of a drip irrigation system, in addition to technical studies for the qualification of the entertainment space, planned near the green belt during the year 2012 and for the period 2013-2015. These projects, launched by the High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification in collaboration with the municipal council of the city of Laâyoune and the Wilaya of the Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra region, are intended to protect the city of Laâyoune against sandstorms, to fight against silting, to safeguard its infrastructure and to create recreational spaces for the urban population. Another project will be carried out at Hay Al Kassam in Laâyoune and concerns the fight against silting for a total amount of more than 4 million DH, of which nearly 3.4 million is devoted to planting trees over an area of 45 hectares. Also, an agreement was signed last Tuesday between the HCEFLCD and the Talh Association for Water and the Environment in Laâyoune; it aims to define the general framework of partnership and cooperation between the two parties in the fields of preservation and development of natural resources in the southern provinces in general and more particularly in the Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia-El Hamra region, through specific projects and programmes. Parallel to the creation of this belt, other tree planting and green space maintenance actions are being carried out inside the city of Laâyoune, particularly in public squares, to strengthen the fight against the advance of sand and contribute to improving the living environment of the local populations.