In brief
Tunisia has launched a 10‑year action plan to reforest 30,000 hectares of forest, prioritising cork oak and Aleppo pine and placing a heavy emphasis on digital monitoring and community partnerships. The strategy follows the loss of 74,602 hectares to fires between 2011 and 2025 and will involve the production of 10 million seedlings, the planting of 1.8 million in partnership with civil‑society organisations, and the restoration of nursery infrastructure. National Tree Day will be celebrated on Nov. 8 as the country seeks to turn its past losses into a climate‑resilience future.
TUNIS, Nov. 3 – Tunisia has adopted a 10‑year action plan for 2026‑2035 to restore forest ecosystems and boost their climate resilience by reforesting 30,000 hectares, according to an Xinhua report based on the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP). The plan responds to the destruction of 74,602 hectares of forest by fires between 2011 and 2025, an event that caused financial and economic losses totalling about 241.16 million Tunisian dinars, the report said.
Central to the programme are cork oak and Aleppo pine species, with an emphasis on modernising forest infrastructure and introducing native plant species suited to local climatic conditions. Digital platforms will be introduced to aid early detection and rapid response, while automated watchtowers and water reservoirs are to be built in elevated areas.
For the 2026‑2027 growing season, restoration activities will cover 24,000 hectares – 15,260 of natural regeneration and 8,716 of forest and pastoral plantations – and will involve the production and planting of 10 million seedlings. In partnership with associations, civil‑society organisations and businesses, 1.8 million seedlings will be planted as part of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021‑2030).
The strategy also stresses participatory management of forest resources, including the mobilisation of water resources and climate financing, and aims to strengthen partnerships with the private sector and civil society to ensure the sustainability of planned interventions. Tunisia will mark National Tree Day on Nov. 8 under the slogan “A Tree Today, a Forest Tomorrow.”