Tunisia’s National Forestry Strategy: A Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

The Republic of Tunisia has announced a strategic initiative to increase its national forest cover from 12 percent to 16 percent. This plan, part of the 2050 National Forestry Development Strategy, is directly aligned with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on environmental protection, economic development, and social equity. The initiative reflects a commitment to enhancing the nation’s ecological resilience and the well-being of its citizens.

Current State of Forestry and Socio-Economic Impact

An assessment of Tunisia’s current forestry sector highlights its critical role in the nation’s environmental and economic landscape.

• Forest Area: Forests currently cover approximately 1.2 million hectares, representing 8.5 percent of Tunisia’s total land area.
• Economic Contribution: The sector accounts for 1.4 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and constitutes 14 percent of total agricultural output.
• Social Dependency: An estimated 700,000 to 1 million Tunisian citizens reside in forested areas, relying on them as essential assets for their economic and social livelihoods. This underscores the sector’s importance in achieving SDG 1 (No Poverty).

Strategic Objectives and Alignment with SDGs

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries has outlined three core pillars for the 2050 National Forestry Development Strategy. Each pillar is intrinsically linked to specific Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Enhancing the Economic Value of Forests: This objective aims to improve the forestry sector’s contribution to the national economy, supporting SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by securing jobs and promoting sustainable economic activities linked to forest resources.
2. Strengthening Environmental Resilience: By increasing forest cover, the strategy directly addresses SDG 15 (Life on Land), which focuses on protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. This effort also contributes significantly to SDG 13 (Climate Action) through enhanced carbon sequestration.
3. Broadening Citizen Access and Utilization Rights: This pillar promotes social equity and community involvement, aligning with SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by ensuring that local populations who depend on forests have fair access and can derive sustainable benefits from these resources.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The core subject is Tunisia’s plan to increase its forest cover, which directly relates to the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. The article explicitly mentions the “2050 National Forestry Development Strategy,” which aims to enhance the economic and environmental aspects of forests.

• SDG 1: No Poverty

  The article connects forest resources to the livelihoods of a significant portion of the population. It states that “an estimated 700 thousands to 1 million Tunisians live in these areas and rely on forests as essential economic and social assets.” The strategy to broaden citizens’ rights to access and utilize these resources directly addresses poverty alleviation by securing economic assets for vulnerable populations.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The economic contribution of the forestry sector is highlighted. The article notes that this sector “contributes 1.4 per cent to GDP and supports 14 per cent of agricultural output.” The plan to enhance the economic value of forests is a strategy for sustainable economic growth.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

   The article’s central theme of increasing forest cover from 12% to 16% and implementing a “National Forestry Development Strategy” directly aligns with the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems.

2. Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

   Tunisia’s plan to “raise its forest cover” is a direct action towards increasing afforestation and reforestation, which is the core of this target.

3. Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, particularly the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources…

   The strategy’s goal to “broaden citizens’ rights to access and utilise forest resources” directly supports this target by aiming to secure economic resources for the 700,000 to 1 million people who rely on them.

4. Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors.

   The plan to “prioritise enhancing the economic value of forests” suggests a focus on making the forestry sector more productive and a stronger contributor to the national economy, aligning with this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.

  This indicator is explicitly mentioned. The article states the goal is to “raise its forest cover from 12 per cent to 16 per cent of the country’s land area” and provides a current figure of “roughly 1.2 million hectares, or about 8.5 per cent of Tunisia’s land.” These percentages are direct measurements for this indicator.

• Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards sustainable forest management.

  This is implied through the “2050 National Forestry Development Strategy.” The implementation and outcomes of this strategy, such as “enhancing the economic value of forests” and “strengthening their environmental resilience,” serve as qualitative and quantitative measures of progress.

• Indicator 1.4.2: Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land…

  This is implied by the ministry’s plan to “broaden citizens’ rights to access and utilise forest resources.” Progress could be measured by tracking the number or proportion of people in forest areas who are granted these expanded rights.

• Indicator 8.1.1: Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita.

  This is implied by the statement that the “forestry sector contributes 1.4 per cent to GDP.” Measuring the change in this contribution over time would be a way to track progress towards enhancing the economic value of forests.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: tvbrics.com