for the country. These activities, which related to the development of forests and
natural parks, the re-afforestation of bare areas, the stabilizing of dunes and the
recourse to a set of techniques of preservation of waters and soils resulted in:
• An increase in the rate of vegetation cover from 6.2% in 1987 to
11.75% currently;
• A significant acceleration of the rhythm of the works on soil
protection, as is evidenced by the annual development of 80,000
hectares in 2004 as against only 20,000 in 1987;
• An increase in the irrigated surface areas using systems of water
conservation which rose from 35,000 hectares in 1987 to 280,000
hectares in 2004;
• Substantial progress in the water resources mobilized in relation to
the moveable resources, which rose from 88.4% in 2004 as against
60% in 1990.
E) The protection of nature and bio-diversity
582. Considering biological diversity as a necessary investment to maintain and
improve agricultural, forestry and water resource production, Tunisia has
developed several programmes for the protection of bio-diversity and of the fauna
and flora genetic heritage.
583. Among these programmes can be cited the creation of 24 protected areas
(against only 5 before 1987) covering 218 thousand hectares and comprising 8
national parks and 16 natural reserves.
584. Numerous projects had also been realized during the past five years, with
the objective of enhancing the living conditions of the citizens who live near the
national parks. Besides, a national strategy had been decided on for the stocking
up of pesticides and their use in natural and agricultural environments.
F) Reinforcement of the beautyof the urban areas
585. In order to procure better living standards for the citizens, a major effort
had been deployed in the domain of beautifying the urban areas. Thus
numerous urban green areas and parks had been developed in all the regions of
the country, allowing the realization of an average of 11.5 m2 of green space per
inhabitant in 2003, as against 4.4 m2 in 1994.
G) Protection of the natural resources
586. Tunisia has purused the implementation of numerous programmes
intended to protect the natural resources, rationalize their exploitation, and
establish the bases of sustainable development. Towards this end the protection
of the waters and soils and the extension of the forest cover and pastoral areas
had been carried out. For the same purpose, national re-afforestation
programmes to combat erosion and arrest desertification had been
implemented. At the same time, the means for the integrated control of plagues
had been disseminated through the exploitation of the results of the research
carried out in this domain.
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