ECOlogical use of native PLANTs for environmental restoration and sustainable development in the MEDiterranean region

The National Research Institute for Rural Engineering, Water and Forestry of Tunisia, ECOPLANTMED partner in Tunisia, organised on Wednesday 6 May 2015 a dissemination event for the ECOPLANTMED project. The theme of the event was “Ecological restoration and conservation of forest stands in Tunisia“. 
The first presentation (pdf in English) was made by Ali Khorchani, a member of the project team. The aim of this presentation was the introduction of the project, its objectives and activities. He explained the importance of ECOPLANTMED for the restoration of Tunisian forests.
The second presentation (pdf in French), prepared by Habib Abid, Director of Forest Conservation, and presented by Hela Guidara, engineer in the Directorate General of Forests, was about the “Conservation of biodiversity and ecological restoration in protected areas in Tunisia”. She addressed the diversity of ecosystems in Tunisian protected areas and the importance of integrating ecological restoration in the national strategies to assure the conservation and development of ecosystems.
Mohamed Larbi Khouja, Director of Research at INRGREF, explained the important criteria of selection of species for restoration, focusing on the influence of genetics on long- and short-term success. Several examples of selected species used in restoration actions in Tunisia were cited. (pdf in French)
The use of ecological restoration as a means to tackle climate change was treated by Zouhaier Nasr, also Director of Research at INRGREF. He explained the importance of the restoration of ecosystems in helping species disturbed by climate changes to adapt to new and changing conditions. (pdf in French)
The event was closed with an interesting discussion with the audience that focused mainly on the importance of the use of native species in the national strategies of restoration. 
This dissemination event was an important opportunity to share experiences on ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation with the different actors of the forestry sector (students, technicians, engineers, and others).