The Sahara and Sahel Observatory celebrates the World Environment Day, Tunis, June 5, 2020.
The terrestrial ecosystems of the Arab Maghreb Union - AMU countries (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) are known to have rich endemic fauna and flora. An asset that unfortunately lies under the threat of land degradation phenomena associated with the harmful climate change impacts that foster the spread and overgrowth of invasive alien species (IASs), placed in the top 5 causes of biological diversity degradation at a global scale.
To contend with this threat, the cooperation between countries is strategic. This is why the Sahara and Sahel Observatory undertook to carry out, with its partners of the AMU, a brainwork for a strategy to fight alien species, in line with the national action plans on biodiversity. This initiative aims to implement collaboration and coordination measures between the Maghreb countries.
More generally, it is worth noting that the OSS 2030 Strategy, currently being developed, should give an important place to biodiversity in the Observatory's action program.
The OSS will take part in the World Environment Day, celebrated by the Tunisian Ministry of the Environment on June 5, 2020 at CITET, placed under ‘Biodiversity’ as a topic this year. This event will be an opportunity for the OSS to promote its vision of biodiversity by presenting an information brochure (french version only) aiming at awareness-raising among the general public and journalists on the collaboration possibilities between the countries of the AMU on how to fight invasive alien terrestrial species.