Watershed Restoration Trust

Why this matters in Tunisia

Rain falls rarely but hard in the hills of central and northwestern Tunisia, and when it hits bare, overgrazed slopes it tears gullies through farmland and carries soil into rivers. Much of that sediment ends up in reservoirs that supply drinking water and irrigation, steadily cutting their storage capacity. Farmers on marginal land, many growing olives, cereals and fodder on slopes, lose the thin topsoil they rely on, while farther south, wind erosion and drifting sand threaten oases and grazing land.

Climate projections point to hotter, drier conditions and more intense storms, which will speed these processes. Dams and canals built over past decades depend on stable catchments above them. Terraces, stone walls, small check dams and contour benches slow runoff, trap sediment and let water infiltrate, often reviving springs and wells. Traditional systems such as the jessour of the southern mountains show how well this can work, but many structures have fallen into disrepair as rural populations aged or moved to cities, and new works need maintenance to last.

What your gift pays for

• Stone and earth terraces and contour benches built on eroding slopes above farmland
• Gabion check dams that slow flash floods and trap sediment in gullies
• Repair of jessour and other traditional water-harvesting structures in dry uplands
• Fodder shrubs and fruit trees planted to hold soil on treated slopes