Posted on June, 13 2002

To coincide with World Desertification Day on 17 June, WWF has organized Kroumerie-Mogod Week from 17�22 June in Tunisia, as part of a project to combat desertification in the Mediterranean. The protection of this northern forest region is a key element of a WWF strategy to combat desertification in Tunisia and the Mediterranean.

The Kroumerie-Mogod region is amongst the richest ecosystems in the Mediterranean. Its forests are home to the extremely rare zen oak and the endangered barbary deer, while corals, posidonia meadows, and sand dune habitats enrich its marine and coastal areas.

Like many Mediterranean forests, the region is critically affected by rapid forest fragmentation and biodiversity loss, due mainly to overgrazing, forest fires, and competition for agricultural land. Desertification is another major environmental and socio-economic issue threatening the region and the entire Mediterranean.

Almost 300,000km� of land in the European coastal zone of the Mediterranean has been classified as �undergoing desertification�, affecting the livelihoods of 16.5 million people. Desertification, caused by a combination of human exploitation and the fragility of the ecosystem, is characterised by droughts and aridity. The effects are land degradation, soil erosion and sterility, and loss of biodiversity. The most serious impact of desertification on the environment and on the national economy is recorded in North African and middle-eastern Mediterranean countries. In Tunisia and Spain alone the costs of desertification have been estimated at US$100 million and US$200 million a year, respectively.

To fight forest threats at the field level, WWF developed a Green Belts Against Desertification programme. This innovative approach aims to create a network of protected areas, which would integrate nature conservation and sustainable development, allowing economic benefit for the local communities. The WWF Mediterranean Programme Office aims to initially put the programme into practice in four forest areas � the Kroumerie-Mogod region and three areas located in Croatia, Morocco, and Portugal. These areas will act as a model for future forest conservation in the Mediterranean and will help establish a Mediterranean forest web, which would act as a barrier against desertification.

Kroumerie-Mogod Week in Tunisia has been organized as part of the Green Belts Against Desertification programme. As part of the week, WWF and partner conservationists will develop a two-year plan for the conservation of barbary deer.

For further information:
Sampreethi Aipanjiguly
WWF Mediterranean Programme Office
E-mail: saipanjiguly@wwfmedpo.org
Tel.: +39 06 844 97 224