Last March, the Tunisian Minister of the Environment, Ms. Leila Chikhaoui El-Mahdawi, inaugurated a technical working session at the Ministry of the Environment in Tunisia. This meeting served as an official presentation of the “TransCap” programme to support civil society organisations based on the Mediterranean coasts of Tunisia and Morocco. Representatives of the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands (including Joan Fortuny and María Estela Blanco from DG International Cooperation, as well as Jorge Enrique Moreno from DG Natural Spaces & Biodiversity), attended this first meeting, supported by a delegation of IUCN-Med. The goal was to develop and explore cooperation opportunities to conserve biodiversity and mitigate threats linked to natural and human pressures in the Mediterranean.

Funded by the Government of the Balearic Islands and coordinated by IUCN-Med, TransCap currently supports 2 Moroccan and 4 Tunisian associations working to support biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation. Ms. Leila Chikhaoui El-Mahdawi stressed the importance of this programme, as well as its alignment with the strategy of the Ministry of supporting civil society in the development and implementation of environmental strategies.

As a result, the participating actors expressed their desire to strengthen cooperation for the conservation of Mediterranean biodiversity, especially in priority areas such as the creation and management of marine protected areas and the conservation of Posidonia meadows.

The General Directorate of the Balearic Islands also confirmed its support to the North African civil society by financing of a second phase of the TransCap programme.



Transcap Regional Workshop

Additionally, the 6 beneficiary associations of the Transcap programme got the chance to meet in person with the team of IUCN-Med, the delegation of the DG Cooperation of the Balearic Islands and the representatives of the Tunisian Ministry of the Environment. Visits to the Tunisian projects in Takelsa and Port aux Princes (Nabeul Governorate), Nefza (Béja Governorate) and Sejnane (Bizerte Governorate) completed the programme. The local authorities, as well as fishermen, farmers, students and other groups accompanied the participants during the visits.

Most importantly, this event created a space of exchange and to facilitate further cooperation and alliances between the participating organisations, as well as with the managing team of the programme.



Image : © Ministere de l'Environnement Tunisie