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Saving the Ghar El Melh lagoon

Joint forces to protect one of Tunisia’s most precious wetlands

By IW:LEARN

February 21^st, 2024

In the stunning coastal governorate of Bizerte, located in the North of Tunisia, natural resources are facing a critical situation. The region is home to one of the country’s most valuable treasures, the Ghar El Melh lagoon, which is internationally renowned as a vital wetland under the Ramsar Convention. However, the excessive use of water for irrigation purposes and expansion of agricultural lands has led to the loss of natural habitats, threatening the ecosystem, its associated biodiversity, and ecosystem services essential for the livelihood of the local community.

Responding to this challenge, the project Adapting to Climate Change Impacts through Smart Irrigation in Ghar El Melh wetland area (ACCISI-GEM), implemented by the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean ( GWP-Med ) with financial support from the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta and co-financing from the GEF UNEP/MAP MedProgramme, will apply the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach through targeted activities in the area. The project aims to enhance water, energy, and food security, preserve the region’s valuable ecosystems and their functions, advance the community’s resilience to climate change, and contribute to the government’s efforts towards sustainable development.

View of the Ghar El Melh Lagoon. Photo: GWP-Med

Ghar El Melh: An important Ramsar site in need of protection

In 2007, the lagoon of Ghar El Melh was recognized as a Wetland of International Importance, and eleven years later, the city of Ghar El Melh was added to the list of Ramsar-designated sites. The city is a popular tourist destination, with major economic activities including lagoon/coastal fishing and agriculture. However, the Ghar El Melh coast faces several developmental pressures, particularly due to climate change vulnerability and impacts. The ecological health of the lagoon and related fishing activities are threatened due to changes in the lagoon’s hydrodynamics, water balance, and water quality deterioration. The already impaired condition of the region worsened in 2023 when the country experienced one of the worst droughts in its history. Authorities had to implement strict measures, including long hours of domestic water supply cuts, which had a significant impact on agricultural production.

For the past three years Tunisia has been facing severe droughts, threatening its agricultural harvest. Photo: GWP-Med

Applying innovative technologies to support the local community and protect the vulnerable ecosystem

The project is based on a holistic, multi-dimensional, innovative, community-based, gender-sensitive, and partnership-focused approach to coastal conservation agriculture using a WEFE Nexus lens. It builds upon the findings of the Conservation and Sustainable Development of Coastal Wetlands with High Ecological Value (GEMWET) project, implemented by GWP-Med and several partners in the Ghar El Melh region, with remarkable results for the farming community and agricultural production. Under the current project, five farms will be selected to benefit from the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) system. This system will allow farmers to make precise, data-driven decisions about when and how much water to apply to their crops. Renewable energy will be used for water pumping to optimize energy usage and produce food sustainably. The goal is to make a positive impact in the interface of all four Nexus sectors while building resilient communities and ecosystems. At the same time, specially designed equipment will monitor the hydrology of the wetland to assess the impact of the irrigation practices on the coastal wetlands.

ICT system that will allow farmers to receive precise, data driven decisions about when and how much water to apply to their crops. Photo: GWP-Med

The implementation of smart irrigation measures by the local community can significantly benefit the well-being of the community and the economy while also protecting the area’s ecological and cultural treasures. At the national level, the project aspires to initiate a policy dialogue that will develop an action plan for upscaling such interventions while also identifying catalytic and financing options for farmers to adopt these technologies. This will create a self-sustaining mechanism that can facilitate the uptake of the approach throughout the country.

By upscaling and replicating the project’s initiatives in other parts of the country and beyond, the project will contribute to the country’s efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The implementation of the WEFE Nexus approach, using technology, is a decisive move towards creating climate resilience and sustainable development, ensuring human well-being, ecological integrity, gender equality and social justice.

Farmers in Ghar El Melh clearing a field after harvesting broccoli. Photo: Shutterstock

About the project

The project Adapting to Climate Change Impacts through Smart Irrigation in Ghar El Melh wetland area (ACCISI-GEM), is implemented by the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean ( GWP-Med ) from November 2023 to 31 December 2024, with financial support from the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta and co-financing from the GEF UNEP/MAP MedProgramme.

For more information, please contact Maria Livanou, Senior Communications Officer, GWP-Med ( maria.livanou@gwpmed.org), or visit the project page on iwlearn.net.