Landscape Challenges

Smog over Tunis (www.yasour.com)

Tunisia faces several challenges with regards to landscape.  On the environmental level Tunisia faces many of the issues which often come with prolonged human habitation and expansion.  These include:

• Deforestation
• Soil depletion
• Water pollution
• Air pollution
• Hazardous waste 

While nearly all countries struggle with these things to some extent, the extremely long history of human habitation has compounded some of these issues.  George E. Brooks in his article  "A Provisional Historical Schema for Western Africa Based on Seven Climate Periods" tracks this extensive process which dates back several millennia.  This continued human habitation is a major factor in the shrinking biodiversity.  Farming and livestock grazing has both depleted the soil and contributed to desertification by decreasing soil stability.  Furthermore humans now occupy and use almost all of the land with access to water.  As Tunisia is partly in  the Sahara desert and has a generally arid climate, this limits the possible ecosystems for animal or native plant life.

Water use is also an issue because of the growing problem of water pollution.  Sewage infrastructure in Tunisia is not very developed.  Outside the major cities, many communities still have open air sewage systems which flow unfiltered into local bodies of water.  In addition, hazardous waste from industries such as mining and petroleum are often dumped untreated.  These either end up in the waterways or leech into the groundwater.  Farmers often need to use this groundwater for irrigation, which provides a further challenge in terms of competing economic sectors and water use.  Jim Ellis and Kathleen A. Galvin in their article“Climate Patterns and Land-Use Practices in the Dry Zones of Africa” discuss the issues which farmers face in arid climates with limited resources and point out how local conflicts can be intensified when water becomes an issue.

Polluted beach outside Sfax (www.yasour.com)