Rapid action is required to stem desertification in north Africa, a major environmental and economic threat in the region, an Algerian minister said on Wednesday.

"The fight against desertification must take a greater place on the international community's agendas and financing," Rachid Benaissa, Algeria's minister for agriculture and rural development, was quoted as saying by APS news agency.

Countries need to use all means at their disposal to prevent desertification, which is threatening a third of the planet, the minister said.

Benaissa was speaking at the opening in Algiers of a regional centre for desertification prevention, a UN initiative.

Benaissa also leads the African group of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

The regional centre has an important role to play in co-ordinating anti-desertification efforts, Benaissa said.