Tabarka, October 7–8, 2025
In the shade of northern Tunisia’s forests, from Tabarka to Aïn Draham and Fernana, stories of endurance and renewal continue to unfold. Here, the rhythm of the trees mirrors the rhythm of the people: both stand firm against drought, both adapt to the slow transformations of the climate.
To protect these fragile yet vital ecosystems, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) took part with researchers, public institutions, civil society, farmers, and young local innovators in the national workshop held in collaboration with the UNCCD, CARI, WWF et ACDD. Their purpose was not only to exchange ideas, but to weave together a shared vision on how to build resilience collectively, through knowledge, experience, and commitment.
Science and tradition met along the same paths. Satellite maps and field observations, community dialogues and ancient know-how — all came together to trace new ways of caring for the land. The geospatial tools and forest monitoring products developed by the OSS revealed both the scars of degradation and glimmer of hope for renewal, while reminding everyone that sustainability is a living process: restoring a soil, planting a tree, passing on a skill.
Through dialogue, hope took shape, not as an abstract idea, but as a quiet determination to act. Each forest restored, each young person trained, each village mobilized becomes part of a broader movement: an Africa investing in life, continuity, and shared responsibility.
Because in the end, resilience is not only about forests, it is about the people who keep them alive, and the future they choose to protect.