biological diversity and tropical forests in tunisia - PART

Rare acd endacgered birds listed ic the Red Data Book (IUCC 1985) that
occx ic Tucisia incliide:
k'hite stork Peregrine
Xarbled teal Acdo~ic's gull
White-headed dack Red-cecked ctghtjar
Red kj.te Hoiibara bastard
White-tailed sea eagle Little bastard
Bearded vultcre Slender-billed curlew
To conserve the rare acd ecdacgered fauca, 32 mammal species and macy
bird species were scbmjtted for icclusjon cnder the regclatiocs set by the
Cocvectioc oc Ictercatiocal Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). The
Forestry Directorate, Directorate of the Ecvironmect, ATPBE and Natiocal
Orcithological Associatioc ( AAO) are icvolved ic cocservatioc activities.
There are 7 major ecosystems ic Tccisia: coastal, islacd, vetlacd,
mo~ctair., steppe, desert acd oasis.
Ticisjags 1200 km af coest give it oce of the highest coast:scrface
area ratios ic Africa. The earth caast is deep acd has inportact.
fornatiacs af red coral reefs. Saztherc caastal areas are shallower and
provide ictercatiocally importact feedicg areas for migraticg sharebirds.
The ectire coastlice has a rich diversity of marine facca. Sight major
islacd archipelagos acd several small islacds are distribcted alocg the
coast. Islacds are ac icteresticg special hebjtat acd sane rare acd
ecdezic species faced or the islacds icclude mock seals, rabbits,
Acdo~ic's gclls acd Eleocora's falcacs.
Of the mare thac 100 permacect acd temporary vetlacds, macy are of
ictercatiacal impartacce. Each year more than 75,000 flamicgos, 400,000
acatids (d~cks) acd 250,000 caots acd maorhecs use the uetlacd acd coastal
areas. The wetlacds icclcde 7 large marjce lakes acd more thac 30 salt
lakes (sebkhets acd chotts). Several freshwater wetlacds exist, iccludice
at least 7 permac~ct acd macy seasacal lakes. Dar Fatma, R peat bog in
the r3rthwest. has mary rare ard gzographically isolated plant species.
Five major mocntai.~ systems coctaic most of the forests acd endemic
plants of Tucisia. In the corthwest the ~hroeniriehogod mauctain chaics
are the wettest part of the cocctry acd barbary deer live jc forests of
cork oak Querccs s~;ber, zen oak Q. cacariensjs and the rare Q. afares.
The High Tell acd Tiicisian Dorsal mocntaje racges shelter ecdacgered
Cuvier's gazelles acd hyeca ic Picas halipecsjs/Qcerccs jlex forests. A
few stacds af the rare maple tree Acer macs~esszlac~s occur ic the
Tacisiac Dorsal acd thzya Calljtris articclata, a species wjth tropical
afficities, is domicact ic the forests of Rori Korcice Tlatiocal Park.
Mocctaics ic the High Steppes of cectral Tccjsia acd the Docjrat ma~ctaics
of soitherc Tccisia are domicated by Jwjpercs acd other species
character] st; c of degraded forests, jc which aasdad (barbary moictaic
sheep) Anmatragis lervj a occGr.
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