Zembra and Zembretta

Territory :

The Zembra and Zembretta National Park is located in the north-east of Tunisia and consists of two islands. The main island of Zembra has a complicated and very abrupt terrain; the entire coastline is rocky and composed of cliffs and falling submarines. The island of Zembra offers an exceptional quality of terrestrial and underwater landscape. It also houses several caves and rocky areas that can house the monk seal.

Physical characteristic :

The Zembra and Zembretta National Park is located in the north-east of Tunisia and consists of two islands. The main island of Zembra has a complicated and very abrupt terrain; the entire coastline is rocky and composed of cliffs and falling submarines. Zembra presents a complicated relief with three major faults and overturned structures. The stratigraphic series ranges from massive Cretaceous limestones above the clay and fine sandstone of the middle miocene. In fact, the geology of the island of Zembra is composed of crystalline limestones (The cathedral), massive limestones (Lantorcho), oligocene sandstones (west and north-west of the island), clay of the middle miocene (east of the island), fine sandstones of the middle miocene (South-east of the island) and recent alluvia (the small plain to the south of the island).

Specificity and importance :

The marine fauna is characterized by a benthos of hard substrate of which the species Asteroides calycularis very abundant on the rock falls. The giant limpet patella ferruginea exists in several areas of the Zembra and Zembretta Islands. Icthytic fauna is diverse, rich in sparids and groupers Epinephelus marginatus and Epinephelus costae. The island of Zembra also presents several caves favorable to the life of the monk seal Monachus monachus which however disappeared since 1975. The area is also heavily frequented by dolphins and nesting seabirds.

Threats and Pressures :

Islands are prohibited from hunting, fishing and human frequentation. The project to create a Marine and Coastal National Park will reactivate some socio-economic activities according to the management plan that will be developed. However, illegal fishing (trawling) and recreational fishing threaten this SPAMI.

Ecological characteristics :

The terrestrial flora consists of 230 species and is present as a predominantly scrub of Pistacia lentiscus, Erica arborea, Olea europea and Calycotome villosa. Several rare species have been reported. The marine flora of Zembra is characterized by the absence of thermophilic species; it has affinities with the «cold flora of the north-west of the Mediterranean». The most important terrestrial vertebrate animal species are the wild rabbit and the Mouflon (Ovis Masimon). In addition, Zembra has a very diverse invertebrate fauna.

Management :

Agence de Protection et d’Aménagement du Littoral et la Direction Générale des Fôrets (Ministère de l’Agriculture Tunisien), Samia Boufares (boufaressamia@gmail.com), dg@apal.nat.tn

There is a management plan developed since 2008, in which research, education and information sharing at different levels of conservation and development are part of the management objectives, including:

• The regulation of activities consistent with the objectives that justified the creation of the SPAMI and the conditions for the related authorisations,
• The adoption of mechanisms for the financing of the management of SPAMI and the development of activities likely to ensure a management compatible with the vocation of the area,
• The participation of the various ministries concerned and representatives of civil society, communities and local populations in the process of planning and monitoring the planned actions.
• Continuous monitoring of ecological processes, habitats, population dynamics, landscapes and the impact of human activities,
• The training of qualified managers and technical staff and the establishment of an appropriate infrastructure

Geographical position :

Zembra and Zembretta are two islands located in the North East of the Gulf of Tunis (in the governorate of Nabeul). The largest, Zembra, is 15 km from Cap Bon. It is surrounded by two rocks: L'Entorche in the North and La Cathédrale in the West.