sites

The Ghar El Melah lagoon lies on the eastern Mediterranean coast at the coordinates (37°11'26.73''N and 9°51'5.27''E). The coastal lagoon covers a total of 3000 ha and is 6.45 km in width, and 10.6 km in length with a maximum depth of the water level of 3 m, and it is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Boughaz channel. The lagoon is in the upper watershed of the Medjerda river.

 Since the mid-century, 4 coastal jetties and 10 river damming altered flow discharge quantity and quality and associated materials delivered to the coast, inducing the wetland ecosystem degradation. Additionnaly, variations in associated nutrient fluxes can have irreversible ecological damage in the coastal zone. The climate change drivers (sea level rise, heatwaves, fluctuation of the rainfall, etc.,) have a hot spot effect on the semi-arid wetland ecosystem already classified as high-ranked vulnerable to natural hazard.

The Ghar El Melh lagoon, a rich wetland habitat for migratory bird is classified under Ramsar Convention (2007) and the Agriculture Ramli are classified under SIPAM certification (2020, FAO).