Tunisia was among the Mediterranean countries that benefited from micro-projects under the project “Sustainable management of wetlands in the Mediterranean” financed by the FFEM in 2021.
In Tunisia, WWF-AN delegated a socio-economic micro-project in the Ichkeul National Park to
the Menzel Bourguiba Scout Club. The project was carried out in two stages:
1: Preparations and networking
Two meetings were conducted with the Regional Agricultural Commission of Bizerte (CRDA
Bizerte) to discuss possible legislative solutions to implement the green and ecological
economy in the Ichkeul wetland (as a national park). Following this, individual
interviews with direct beneficiaries and field visits were conducted to finalise the
action plan. A networking day took place, with the participation of all stakeholders
(beehive suppliers, donors (such as the Bank of Agriculture, BTS)), and the association
“Ichkeul for strategic monitoring and sustainable development and environment”
which is implementing a project entitled: “Ichkeul is our life, Ichkeul is your life”
financed for the EU through the ECOPAT Bizerte programme. Through this networking,
the number of target groups doubled (nearly 30 people from the Ichkeul wetland
participated in this day).
2: Training and networking
In this part, 6 women (2 from the Ichkeul area, and 4 from the Zaarour area (a rural
area next to Ichkeul), were identified. A first training on permaculture took place on 5
December 2021 with all beneficiaries. A second training took place on 9 December
2021 with the beneficiaries of Ichkeul, including 2 modules (one on the importance of
bees in the preservation of wetlands such as Ichkeul and a second module on the
basics of queen bee breeding). A third training session took place on 11 December
2021 for 6 women on the legal procedures for the creation of a GDA (Groupement de
Développement Agricole) in partnership with the regional commission for women,
families and children. The second part of the training focused on the drafting of
projects for each group of women. On 19 December 2021, a meeting and the final
training for the closure of the project was held.
In addition, the 2nd microproject in Tunisia, on a local observatory in Sebkhet Sejoumi, is being
developed by the AAO.
