État des lieux cartographiques de l’arganier Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels (Sapotaceae) en Afrique Nord-Occidentale (Algérie et Sahara Occidental)

Occurring in a limited biogeographical region in North Western Africa, the Argan tree Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels grows in extreme ecological conditions. The aim of the present work is mapping the natural extension of the species in Tindouf (Algeria) and in the Western Sahara. Our work adopts cartographic processing by GIS (Geographic Information System). To delimit the natural distribution of the species in Tindouf in Algeria, we localized argan tree distribution by GPS (global positioning system) in 2008, 2009 and 2012. In this region, the Argan tree occupies dry river banks towards the western side of the Draa Hamada. It is found at an altitude that ranges between 254 and 634 m above sea level, spreading over a surface of 50,670 hectares. For remote areas in the south, we adopted a toponymical study in order to prove its existence in Western Sahara.