Issam Touhami

Institut National de Recherche en Génie Rural Eaux et Forêts | INRGREF · Laboratory of Management and Valorization of Forest Resources

Assessing the vulnerability of forest ecosystems in the climate change context is a challenging task as the mechanisms that determine this vulnerability cannot be directly observed. Based on the ecological interrelationships between forests and climate, the present review focused on providing current information about vulnerability assessments of c...

In the climate change context, the severity and duration of drought periods are expected to increase. Forests are known to be extremely sensitive to climate change, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, and particularly in Tunisia, where climate is characterized by dry hot summers which will intensify and prolong due to climate change effects. A b...

The Mediterranean region is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. The majority of climate models forecast a rise in temperatures and less rainfall, which have been observed in recent decades. These changes will affect several vegetation properties, especially phenological dynamics and traits, by increasing drought intensity and recu...

Acer monspessulanum (Montpellier Maple) is an important deciduous tree species native to the Mediterranean region. It is largely distributed in the southern part of western Europe; however, it is geographically less present in north Africa and western Asia. The effects of the most significant environmental variables for its habitat suitability, and...

Coastal dune landscapes are subject to morphological and ecological changes. In many parts of the world, coastal dunes are under severe pressure. The present study illustrates an integrated remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) approach, i.e., geospatial techniques for assessing land-cover dynamics in Zouaraa coastal dunes, locat...

Ceratonia siliqua L. plant (carob tree) is a Mediterranean species. In Tunisia, natural distribution of this species is situated in humid zones in the north to the driest ones in the south of the country. Ceratonia siliquaregeneration depends on seeds quality and performances as well as on the practical vegetative propagation tools. Nowadays, carob...

Maple genus is one of the highly distributed genera in the northern hemisphere. Maple species are known for their ecological, economical, and medicinal values. Some of them were mentioned for their seed oil yield and composition. One of the maple species native to the Mediterranean and West Asian regions is the Montpellier maple (Acer monspessulanu...

Tree-ring data is one of the best proxy sources for studying the dynamics of the Earth’s climate system. However, paleoclimatic studies often face multiple problems that can influence the quality of the obtained information. The success in analyzing these proxies is thus crucial for understanding the nature of these dynamics. Here we introduce a ne...

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Fifth Assessment Report, concluded with more certainty that global climate change is unequivocal. The average global temperature in 2020 is set to be about 1.2 °C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) level. Natural ecosystems have been affected by climate change, including rising temperat...

Climate changes reflect an increase in temperature and a decrease in annual rainfall, with high variability between regions, which will generate hotter, drier environments. Under these conditions, it is projected that forest ecosystems will be severely affected, and recent studies have accumulated evidence for drought-induced tree mortality, especi...

La méditerranée est l’une des régions les plus vulnérables au changement climatique (hot-spot). La plupart des modèles climatiques prévoient, dans cette région, une augmentation de la température et une diminution des précipitations. Ces changements affecteront plusieurs propriétés de la végétation, en particulier le cycle phénologique. Dans ce con...

The Myrtus communis L. is an endemic species appreciated traditionally for its medicinal and aromatic properties. Improving the multiplication and propagation methods of the common myrtle is the most important objective of this paper. The work was held to conserve the species and its decreasing populations due to the lake of management, overcutting...

The ultimate objectives of this work were to find new potential sources of natural antioxidants agents in food industry. This study is the first to investigate secondary metabolites and biological activities of barks and leaves of Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. subsp. angustifolia (Oleaceae),

The Periploca angustifolia is a native shrub widely distributed in the Mediterranean region. This species is threatened because of its medicinal properties, its pastoral interest and its role in the fight against soil erosion. The main objective of this work is to master the germination and multiplication techniques of Periploca angustifolia L.

Scale Global National Context M. arborea is a forage species very appreciated by cattle. It has good quality as it is too rich in nitrogen and proteins (nitrogen matter constitutes about 20% of its dry matter). Its digestibility is more important than many other forage species like Atriplex nummularia as well as d'Acacia cyanophylla. It has a great...

The Lavandula is an important species due to medicinal and aromatic properties. The local species population is suffering from Anthropozoic pressure improved by cutting and animal scuttling which made it essential to preserve the species population. Our work aims to test some ways of specie propagation. Results The main results of the tests seeds h...

The Montpellier maple (Acer monspessulanum L.) is a Mediterranean and West Asian species considered in Tunisia as rare with only three locations. The ecological importance of the species as a broadleaf and its effects on its natural ecosystem leads us to get a clear idea of the best way of propagation using seeds. Results A general characterization...

The sulla is a herbaceous bi or multiannual Mediterranean forage species. It's used as hay, ensilage, or pasture. The sulla is a species that valorizes poor soils and helps in restoring their fertility. Also, it's a useful plant regarding restoring and promoting eroded soil. The main objective of this work is to master the techniques of multiplicat...

Anthyllis barba-jovis is a rare evergreen shrub belonging to the family of Fabaceae and could be found in different habitats, especially along steep rocky cliffs. It is an endemic species originating from the west-central regions of the Mediterranean basin. It’s located in France, Italy, Croatia, Algeria, and Tunisia and grows on low altitudes of t...

L'étude de l'évolution de l'écosystème pin d'Alep dans un contexte de changement climatique permet de préciser son écologie et de prédire sa croissance et son évolution future. L'approche utilisée dans ce chapitre fait suite à des études déjà entreprises sur l'impact de changements climatiques sur l'écosystème pin d'Alep en Tunisie. L'analyse des r...

This book includes 16 chapters presented in 369 pages. This work deals with different topics and questions in relation with Aleppo Pine forests in Tunisia. The book summarizes existent experiences and researches elaborated during the last 60 years. More than 60 authors with different specialties have contributed to this collective book.

Groundwater is the major water source in arid and semi-arid regions and its availability under future climatic scenarios is uncertain. In this context, the knowledge of the likely changes in aquifer recharge is very important for sustainable management of groundwater resources in these environments. This work assesses the effect of future potential...

This work was presented in the SUDENA Workshop in cooperation between The University of Carthage, Tunisia and The University of Koblenz · Landau, Germany.

Climate changes reflect increases in temperature and decrease in annual rainfall, with high variability between regions, which will generate hotter drier environments. Under these conditions, it is projected that forest ecosystems will be severely affected, and recent studies have accumulated evidence for drought-induced tree mortality, especially...

Restoring forest landscapes is critical in the face of continued global forest loss and degradation. The study area of M’sid-Nefza in NorthWest of Tunisia suffers a continuous degradation problem. This situation results from the combined effects of several historical, socioeconomic, silvicultural and natural factors. A program for integrated partic...

Eucalyptus is the second major wood species used for Tunisian reforestation since 1957, and they are found around the country in several arboretums. Eucalyptus may be an interesting raw material to the Tunisian wood industry. The main obstacle to its industrial exploitation is its natural propensity to incur internal checking, collapse and a high t...

L'Erable de Montpellier se présente en Tunisie comme une espèce rare poussant sur les sommets de Djebel Serj, Djebel Bargou et Djebel Zaghouan. Cette espèce, et malgré ces multiples intérêts, est menacée et peu étudiée ce qui nécessite une caractérisation de ces aspects morphologiques et ces modes de multiplication. Dans ce cadre, ce travail vient...

A l’instar de tous les pays de la Méditerranée, la Tunisie est affectée par l’impact du changement climatique. Dans notre étude, nous nous sommes intéressés à la région de Kroumirie que se situe à l’extrême Nord-Ouest de la Tunisie qui abrite la plus grande forêt de chêne liège. L’objectif principal de ce travail consiste à analyser l’évolution cli...

A l’instar de tous les pays de la Méditerranée, la Tunisie est affectée par l’impact du changement climatique. Dans notre étude, nous nous sommes intéressés à la région de Kroumirie que se situe à l’extrême Nord-Ouest de la Tunisie qui abrite la plus grande forêt de chêne liège. L’objectif principal de ce travail consiste à analyser l’évolution cli...

In semiarid areas, water is a crucial and limited resource and its management is a challenge. Hydrological models allow the estimation of water balance under different land cover and climate scenarios which can help improve the management of water resources. In this study, we used the “DISRUM” model (a Distributed Eco Hydrological Model) to estimat...

A global understanding of the ability of cork oak populations to cope with and adapt to summer drought stress is crucial for assessments of the future of cork oak forests as a major ecosystem in Mediterranean. We examined the effect of summer drought on photosynthetic capacity in three Quercus suber (L.) populations that are native to different eco...

Mediterranean area is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. Most of the climate models forecast an increase in temperatures and a decrease of rainfalls, as just has been observed in the last decades in this region. These changes will affect several vegetation properties, specifically the phenological dynamic and traits, by increasin...

In semiarid areas, water is a crucial and limited resource and its management is a challenge. Hydrological models allow the estimation of water balance under different land cover and climate scenarios which can help improving the management of water resources. In this study we used “DISRUM “model (a distributed Eco Hydrological model) to estimate t...

In semiarid areas, water is a crucial and limited resource and its management is a challenge. Hydrological models allow the estimation of water balance under different land cover and climate scenarios which can help improve the management of water resources. In this study, we used the “DISRUM” model (a Distributed Eco Hydrological Model) to estimat...

A l’instar de tous les pays de la Méditerranée, la Tunisie est affectée par l’impact du changement climatique (CC) et l’effet de serre. Dans notre étude, nous nous sommes intéressés précisément à la région de Kroumirie que se situe à l’extrême Nord-ouest de la Tunisie là ou abrite la plus grande forêt de chêne liège. L’objectif principal de ce trav...

Le présent travail est mené dans le cadre du projet de recherche ECOPLANTMED (www.ecoplantmed.eu), intitulé "Utilisation écologique des plantes indigènes pour la restauration environnementale et le développement durable dans la région méditerranéenne". Ce projet vise à promouvoir la conservation, l'amélioration et l'utilisation durable des plantes...

En muchos países, particularmente en zonas áridas, como la región de Alicante, las aguas subterráneas son de vital importancia para el sustento y la salud de la mayoría de la población, pues proporcionan una gran parte del agua necesaria para uso doméstico, agrícola e industrial. Muchos acuíferos están siendo actualmente objeto de intensa explotaci...

Le littoral nord de la Tunisie présente un certain nombre de massifs de dunes, formés d’apports considérables de sables marins progressant vers l’intérieur sous l’influence des vents dominants du Nord-Ouest et menaçant d’envahir beaucoup de terre. Les dunes d’Ezouarah- Nefza ont connu, dans le passé, des projets de fixation et de restauration fores...

L’Erable de Montpellier se présente en Tunisie comme une espèce rare poussant sur les sommets de Djebel Serj, Djebel Bargou et Djebel Zaghouan d’après Pottier Alapetite. Cette espèce, et malgré ces multiples intérêts, est très menacée par des facteurs anthropozoïques et écologiques ce qui nécessite des mesures de protection et de conservation in si...

Dans le cadre du projet de recherche Inventaire forestier par Télédétection et compte tenu des expériences acquises au cours des travaux précédents lors des inventaires de 1988 et de 2007 utilisant respectivement les images satellitales de moyennes résolution et les photos aériennes, il est proposé de développer une nouvelle méthodologie intégrant...

Des indices relatifs au réchauffement, à une modification du régime hydrique, au dépérissement des forêts, d’attaques de ravageurs concordent avec l’idée d’une modification du système climatique en Afrique du Nord et en Tunisie en particulier. Afin de faire face au phénomène par atténuation et adaptation (souvent liées en foresterie), un ensemble d...

Sur la base des mesures du flux de sève, de l’évapotranspiration, de la photosynthèse et du continu hydrique du sol et de l’analyse historique des sécheresses, l’efficience de l’eau de la subéraie de Ain Snoussi a été évaluée. La consommation en eau annuelle des arbres de 342 mm alors que l’évapotranspiration du sous-bois est évaluée à 192 mm, avec...

Les plants forestiers produits en pépinières traditionnelles ne répondent généralement à aucune norme de qualité. Ils sont élevés en sachets de polyéthylène dans un substrat caractérisé par de mauvaises propriétés physico-chimiques. En Tunisie, plus de 80% des pépinières forestières utilisent des techniques traditionnelles de production de plants....

The secondary metabolite composition and antioxidant activities of barks and leaves of Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. subsp. angustifolia (Oleaceae), Tunisian native tree, from two provenances (Béja and Nefza) were investigated using two solvents extracts (ethanol and distilled water). The highest amounts of polyphenols (24,84 ± 0,57 mg GAE/g DW), fla...

In Mediterranean region and especially in North Africa, forest seedlings for reforestation objectives are often produced in small-scale nurseries. The quality of the seedlings influences the success of forest plantation initiatives. This study uses morphological parameters to assess the quality of seedlings of five Tunisian native species (Lavandul...

After the independence in 1957 and with the support of the FAO117, Eucalyptus species were planted in Tunisia in different arboreta throughout the country for close observation and adaptation to climate and soil. The objective of this study is to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of two species planted in marginal area in Sousse (arbo...

North Africa would be particularly affected by climate change, especially by droughts, that would be more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting. In its report, GTZ, (2007) illustrate the dramatic effects of climate change in Tunisia. However, they also show that the impacts for the different regions were widely: (1) increase in annual average t...

Predictions of climate change have a high interest in semiarid regions like the province of Alicante (SE Spain). It is expected that the decrease of precipitation and the increase of air temperature according to climate change forecasts, could impact on the recharge to aquifers. In this context, the aim of this study was explore the possible impact...

Background and aim: Phenolic compounds are a group of plant secondary metabolites known to have a variety of bioactivities, including the ability to function as antioxidants. Because of the side effects of the use of synthetic substances, the search for natural and less toxic compounds has increased significantly. The aim of this study was to evalu...

Groundwater resources are typically the main fresh water source in arid and semi-arid regions. Natural recharge of aquifers is mainly based on precipitation; however, only heavy precipitation events (HPEs) are expected to produce appreciable aquifer recharge in these environments. In this work we used daily precipitation and monthly water level tim...

Tunisia rangelands, 25% of the total land area, play an important role in contributing to people's livelihood. Natural rangeland ecosystems decreased in area and production. This is due to the increase of population, its needs in milk, meat and other agricultural products as well as the increase in livestock numbers and needs of fodder units. Curre...

Predictions of climate change have a high interest in semiarid regions like the province of Alicante (SE Spain). It is expected that the decrease of precipitation and the increase of air temperature according to climate change forecasts, could impact on the recharge to aquifers. In this context, the aim of this study was explore the possible impact...

El objetivo de este manual es mejorar los conocimientos del sector viverístico, público y privado, sobre especies autóctonas adecuados para la restauración ecológica y la jardinería en la región biogeográfica mediterránea. Los resultados científicos sobre germinación de semillas obtenidos durante el proyecto ECOPLANTMED se han transferido en este m...

Σκοπός αυτού του εγχειριδίου είναι η βελτιστοποίηση της τεχνογνωσίας των φυτωρίων, τόσο του δημοσίου, όσο και του ιδιωτικού τομέα, σχετικά με τη χρήση ιθαγενών φυτών, κατάλληλων για οικολογική αποκατάσταση και κηπουρική, στη βιογεωγραφική περιοχή της Μεσογείου. Τα επιστημονικά αποτελέσματα που αποκτήθηκαν από τη μελέτη της φύτρωσης σπερμάτων, μέσω...

The present edition was made possible by the project ECOPLANTMED: “ECOlogical use of native PLANTs for environmental restoration and sustainable development in the MEditerranean Region”. The project aims to contribute to halting the loss of biodiversity and to promote a sustainable development model in the Mediterranean Region by enhancing the cons...

The objective of this manual is to improve the knowhow of the nursery sector, both public and private, about native plant species that are suitable for restoration ecology and gardening in the Mediterranean biogeographic region. The scientific results on seed germination obtained during the ECOPLANTMED project have been transferred into this manual...

In Mediterranean region and especially in North Africa, forest seedlings are often produced in small-scale nurseries as a means of reforestation. The quality of the seedlings influences the successful of forest plantation initiatives. This study uses morphological parameters to assess the quality of seedlings of five Tunisian native species (Lavand...

Climate change forecasts in a semiarid region are of much interest to academics, managers and governments. A significant decrease in annual precipitation and an increase in mean annual air temperature are expected; consequently, changes in the soil water balance and groundwater recharge to aquifers are expected as a response to climate change forec...

L'obiettivo di questo manuale è quello di migliorare le competenze e le conoscenze del settore vivaistico, pubblico e privato, sulle specie vegetali autoctone, utili sia per i ripristini ambientali che per il loro uso nelle pratiche di giardinaggio nella Regione biogeografica Mediterranea. I risultati scientifici ottenuti sulla germinazione dei sem...

En la zona del Mediterráneo el análisis de los extremos climáticos es muy importante para entender el comportamiento del clima sobre todo en un contexto de cambio climático. El conocimiento de este comportamiento es crucial para el diseño de políticas de adaptación a los potenciales cambios de clima en el futuro. En este trabajo se analizan las ten...

Predictions of climate change have a high interest in semiarid regions like the province of Alicante (SE Spain). It is expected that the decrease of precipitation and the increase of air temperature according to climate change forecasts, could impact on the recharge to aquifers. In this context, the aim of this study was explore the possible impact...

The HYDROBAL software is a useful eco-hydrological model with daily resolution for assessing water balances in different vegetation types in a semiarid region of south-eastern Spain. Based on two models, hydrobal and DISRUM (raster model), it calculates water balance on two scales (vegetation plots and watershed). Designed with a modular structure,...

The Mediterranean is one of the most sensitive regions to global change, particularly climate change. Advances in synoptic monitoring and evaluation can help decision makers project trends and prevent or reduce negative effects on regional ecosystems. In particular, vegetation phenology derived from remotely sensed multi-temporal satellite imagery...