Tunisia's Biomes: Mediterranean Woodlands North, Sahara Desert South

Tunisia spans two major biomes, divided by the Atlas Mountains and the 200-mm isohyet.

1. Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands & Scrub (North & Coast)

• Zone: Cape Bon, Kroumirie, Mogods, Tell Atlas foothills.
• Climate: Csa (Mediterranean) — wet mild winters (400–1,000 mm), hot dry summers.
• Vegetation: Cork oak (Quercus suber), zeen oak, Aleppo pine, carob, wild olive, mastic, myrtle. Maquis (dense shrubland) on degraded soils.
• Fauna: Barbary stag, wild boar, jackal, mongoose, 300+ birds (migratory stopover), Atlas cedar relicts (Djebel Zaghouan).

2. Deserts & Xeric Shrublands (Central & South)

• Zone: Steppe (Chott el Jerid margins) → Sahara (Grand Erg Oriental).
• Climate: BWh/BSh — <100 mm rain, extreme diurnal temps (0–50°C).
• Vegetation: Halophytes (chott margins), Retama, Arthrophytum, Zygophyllum, acacia wadis. Date palms in oases (Tozeur, Kebili, Douz).
• Fauna: Fennec fox, sand cat, dorcas gazelle (reintroduced), addax (extinct in wild), spiny-tailed lizard, desert locust (outbreaks).

Transition Belt

Pre-Saharan steppe (100–200 mm): Stipa tenacissima (esparto grass) steppes — traditional grazing, now degraded. Chotts (salt flats): seasonal wetlands, flamingo breeding.

Conservation

• Ichkeul NP (UNESCO) — freshwater lake, migratory birds.
• Bouhedma, Chambi, Jbil, Dghoumes NPs — steppe/desert.
• Challenges: overgrazing, groundwater mining, climate change, tourism pressure.

Tunisia in two biomes: green north, golden south — meeting at the Roman limes.