(TAP) - A partnership agreement was signed on Tuesday at the Environment Ministry headquarters between the Coastal Protection and Development Agency (APAL) and the NGO "Kraten" on the one hand, and the environmental fund "The MedFund" on the other, with the aim of improving the preservation of the marine protected area (MPA) of the northern islets of Kerkennah in Tunisia. In a statement to the media, Environment Minister Leila Chikhaoui emphasised that "under this agreement, the MedFund will allocate 286,000 dollars in funding to APAL and the NGO Kraten, over a period of 5 years", adding that "this is the fifth marine protected area supported by the MedFund in Tunisia since 2020, after those of the Kuriat islands, the La Galite archipelago, Kneiss and Zembra". Chikhaoui stressed the importance of the role played by The MedFund environmental fund, currently chaired by Tunisia, in collaboration with the Principality of Monaco and France, in mobilising funding for APAL and involving local associations in preserving marine areas and ecosystems and resolving related environmental problems". She said that this partnership was part of the national strategy for ecological transition, one of whose 53 proposed measures was to make Kerkennah Island a model of climate resilience. For his part, Ahmed Ben Hamida, head of the central and southern marine protected areas at APAL, said that "the funding, which will be paid out in instalments over 5 years, will help to protect and restore the marine resources of coastal villages, promote sustainable fishing and guarantee a stable income for fishermen in Kerkennah, where fishing is the most widespread economic activity". Under the agreement, MedFund will also provide technical expertise and capacity building to implement the management plan and improve the long-term sustainability of the MPA. The activities supported also include setting up a competent on-site team responsible for management, raising awareness among visitors and the local population, site surveillance, scientific monitoring of the ecosystems and establishing active governance including fishermen. Located off the Tunisian coast, the Kerkennah MPA covers an area of 1,091.5 km2 and is home to unique marine biodiversity, including seagrass beds, coastal habitats and crucial breeding grounds for numerous marine species. The MedFund is a Monaco-based environmental fund dedicated to the sustainable and effective management of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean, through financial support, technical expertise and capacity-building activities. It works closely with governments and civil society organisations to protect the unique marine biodiversity of the Mediterranean. To date, MedFund supports 15 MPAs in 7 Mediterranean countries.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse