Sebkhet Sidi Masoud is located at the south-east of Chargui island in Kerkennah Archipelago, just outside the village of El Ataya. The whole area was included in the national wetlands' inventory under the code 169 (Hughes et Al, 1997). It is a coastal saltmarsh with an elevation that ranges from 0 to 2.5m above sea level (Topography Map, 1973; Etienne, 2011) which get regularly flooded by the high tides. In the past, it used to be larger and water used to circulate freely up and down the area, but 2 years ago, a dike was built in the middle to stop sea water from reaching the houses located at the edge of the wetland and thus deviding it into 2 smaller systems. The eastern system (by the sea) is well preserved and has more than 95% of its surface covered by salicornia, whereas the other part (on the other side of the wall) is heavily degraded; the vegetation has been entirely removed and the land has been covered by soil making the ground higher. Building the dike stopped the natural flow of water which started to stagnate and therefore creating major problems for neighbouring residents (bad smells and mosquitos). Additionnaly, a lot of garbage, brought from the sea by tides and waves, are scattered along the shoreline.
The dominant flora specie in the wetland is Sarcocornia fruticosa (L.) A. J. Scott.
[Field visit: Th. Giannakakis, K. Charfi, I. Rais & M. Ouali 05/2018]
Wetland data
Basic information
Wetland location:
Marine/Coastal
Wetland area:
18.9 Ha
Hydrological interaction:
-
Water salinity:
Salty (> 18.0 g/l)
Type of fresh water input:
Catchment area (precipitation)
Hydroperiod:
Temporary/Intermittent
Geographic information
Governorate:
Sfax
Island:
Chargui
Municipality:
Kerkennah
Longitude:
11.299022 East
Latitude:
34.747037 North
Ramsar wetland type
Type
Coverage (%)
A -- Permanent shallow marine waters in most cases less than six metres deep at low tide; includes sea bays and straits
< 5
H -- Intertidal marshes; includes salt marshes, salt meadows, saltings, raised salt marshes; includes tidal brackish and freshwater marshes
> 95
Property status
Public
Protection statuses
Protection status category
Protection status subcategory
Area's name
Code
Coverage area (%)
Legislation
International Protection
Ramsar Site
Kerkennah
100
Ramsar Convention
National Protection
Sensitive areas
Kerkennah
100
L. n° 94-122, 28/11/1994; D. 98-2092, 28/10/1998 (Jort n°88)
Important bird areas
IBA code
Site name
Coverage (%)
References
TN026
Kerkennah Islands
100
Ecosystem services
Type of ecosystem service
Ecosystem service
Scale of Βenefit (%)
Importance
Regulatory services
Erosion regulation
Regulatory services
Flood hazard regulation
Supporting services
Provision of habitat
Regulatory services
Storm hazard regulation
Activities on wetland
Activity
Intensity
210 = Professional fishing
High
220 = Leisure fishing
Medium
423 = disposal of inert materials
High
501 = paths tracks cycling tracks
High
703 = soil pollution
871 = sea defense or coast protection works
Activities on catchment area
Activity
Intensity
210 = Professional fishing
High
220 = Leisure fishing
Medium
401 = continuous urbanisation
High
421 = disposal of household waste
Medium
423 = disposal of inert materials
Medium
501 = paths tracks cycling tracks
High
502 = roads motorways
High
511 = electricity lines
High
Habitat types
Type
Coverage (%)
1440 Salt pans
1510 * Mediterranean salt steppes (Limonietalia)
Vegetation types
Type
Coverage (%)
Halophytic
76 - 95
Images
WWF Tunisia. (2019). TunIsWet – Database of the Tunisian island wetlands. Updated: 03.2024