WWF North Africa and Tour du Valat, are building on previous and current work to conceptualise a plan for the restoration of the Dar Fatma peatlands in Tunisia under the Green Light Protocol of the Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands. A group of experts, including the WWF Team, the Tour du Valat team, Jerôme Porteret, a restoration and hydrology expert from Conservatoire d’espaces naturels de Savoie (CEN Savoie), Amina Daoud-Bouattour et Zeineb Ghrabi-Gammar, independent botanical experts, have supported the elaboration of a restoration project. This project takes into account the outcomes of the previous stakeholders’ dialogue organised by WWF North Africa with the local community and actors. So, the project underscores a collaborative effort to rehabilitate this vital ecosystem.
Location and Significance: Situated in the mountainous Kroumiria region, the Dar Fatma peatlands historically served as a biodiversity hotspot. However, the area has experienced significant degradation due to overgrazing and pollution pressures, threatening its ecological integrity and the survival of the rare species it hosts.
Peatlands are critical in the global fight against climate change. They can store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined. The restoration of the Dar Fatma peatlands is not only a local conservation effort but also a significant contribution to global environmental sustainability.
Restoration project is under construction and aims to:
- Ecosystem Recovery: to restore the peatlands’ natural functionality, enabling them to continue their role as a significant carbon and water sink
- Species Conservation: to protect and revive habitats for endangered plant communities , crucial for maintaining the area’s biodiversity.
- Community Benefits: The restoration initiative is designed to align with the socio-economic development of the local communities, promoting sustainable and inclusive progress.
- Stakeholder engagement: The planning of the restoration project is following a solid stakeholders engagement process including local population, the government and donors
The ongoing success of the Green Light project in Dar Fatma highlights the potential for peatland restoration to provide ecological, economic, and social benefits and serve as a model for similar ecosystems globally.
For further information, please contact Lorena Segura or Elisa Tuaillon, contact@medallianceforwetlands.org
