biological diversity and tropical forests in tunisia - PART

B. Fauca
Between 50 and 150 barbary deer exist in the M'hibes forest (IUCN
1987). Wild boar, jackal, red fox, brown hare, and many species of bats
and rodects also occur near Nefza.
C. Influences
Timber harvesting is carefully monitored by the Forestry Directorate,
but there is an unknown amount of grazing and collection of fodder in the
forests. Myrtus and Erica branches are also harvested. At M'hibes a 370
ha reserve has been created to protect the rare barbary deer.
3.4.1.5. Sejnane
Toward the eastern end of the Mogods, cork oak is replaced by kermes
oak maquis. The cork oak that does occur is usually sparse, shows poor
growth acd is mixed with kermes oak and associated species. Betweec
Sejcane acd Tamra there is an example of such a maquis, icclading Erica
scoparia, Myrtus communis and Genista ferox. In the clearings there are
two uncommoc plants that only occur in this area: Isoetes velata var.
typica a ~ d the rare ~unisia/~lgeria endemic Armeria spinul~adford and
Peterken 1969).
An example of the climax vegetation type can be seen at a place
northeast of Sejnane by road MC51. Called "Sacred Wood" by Radford and
Peterkec (19691, the site centers around an old burial shrice. Out of
respect for the shrine the trees are not cut, but livestock is brought
into the forest and the ground is almost bare. The approximately 2 ha
stand is dominated by:
Quercus suber Myrtus commmis
Olea europaea oleaster Daphne gcidium
Pistacia lentiscus Calycotome villosa
A t the northeast end of the Mogods the hills are lower and gently
sloping. Kermes oak is replaced by Olea-lentiscus maquis and cultivation
at the eastern end until Ras el Ahmar on the coast. There, a large,
isolated aleppe pine forest grows with an understory of kermes oak and:
3.4.1.6. Djebel Ichkeul
Pistacia lentiscus Retama monosperma
Juniperus oxycedrus Chamaerops humilis
J. phoenicea Lycium sp.
0c the south side of Lake Ichkeul (Section 3.3.1.1) is Djebel Ichkeul,
an outlying mountain of the Mogods chain. the mouctaic has ac altitade of
511 m acd descecds to Lake Ichkeul on the corth side, the Sejcace marsh oc
the west, Djoumice marsh oc the east and the Mateur plain to the south.