Ain Temouchent Province
Ain Temouchent exhibits secondary succession like a cleared vineyard: 60,000 colonial hectares collapsed post-independence, now diversifying into fishing.
Ain Temouchent Province illustrates what happens when an economy built on a single crop loses its market overnight. Before Algerian independence in 1962, this northwestern coastal province was the heart of colonial viticulture: 60,000 hectares of vines produced 4 million quintals annually, representing 25% of Algeria's total wine output and employing 20,000 permanent workers. Wine accounted for half of colonial Algeria's export value, and in Ain Temouchent, it was the only recognized agricultural industry.
Independence triggered ecological succession in economic form. The French winemakers who understood the markets and techniques departed, and Algeria's new government prioritized grain over grapes. The monoculture collapsed. Today over 200 cellars remain—relics of the colonial vineyard system—and since 2013 investments in cooling systems and modern winemaking equipment have attempted resurgence. France still receives 90% of Algerian wine exports, a path dependence from the colonial era.
The province has diversified into fishing, with Beni Saf emerging as one of Algeria's major ports. This coastal pivot represents secondary succession: marine resources are filling the niche vacated by viticulture. Artificial reef projects now aim to restore marine biodiversity, building new ecosystem infrastructure. Ain Temouchent demonstrates a pattern seen worldwide: regions built on colonial extraction must undergo painful succession before finding sustainable economic identities.