Area closure and reforestation

Protection and reforestation of degraded arid lands in central and southern Tunisia using native tree species able to tolerate extreme droughts and persist on the edge of the Sahara desert.

The purpose of afforestation is the rehabilitation of degraded drylands and restoration of the original forest-steppe ecosystem in the Bled Talah region, which suffered for over a century from over-exploitation of natural resources and intensification of agricultural activities. A national park was created in 1980 covering an area of approximately 16,000 ha, with three integral protection zones, two agricultural zones and two buffer zones.

Note: For this SLM technology case, the SPI report on Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change, refers to: Murthy, I.K., Alipuria, A.K. and Ravindranath, N.H. 2012. Potential for increasing carbon sink in Himachal Pradesh, India. Tropical Ecology 53(3), 357-369, and Agrawal, A.. 1996. Reforestation in Ecuador’s Dry Forest. Desert Plants, pp 12-14.