| Ichkeul National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Ichkeul mountain |
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| Location | Tunisia |
| Nearest city | Mateur |
| Area | 126 km² |
| Established | 1980 |
| Type: | Natural |
| Criteria: | x |
| Designated: | 1980 (4th session) |
| Reference #: | 8 |
| State Party: | Tunisia |
| Region: | Arab States |
| Endangered: | 1996–2006 |
Ichkeul Lake (Arabic: بحيرة اشكل) is a lake in northern Tunisia near the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The lake and wetlands of Ichkeul National Park are an important stopping-over point for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds each year. Among the lake's visitors are ducks, geese, storks, and pink flamingoes. The park has been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1980, and between 1996 and 2006 the park has also been on the group's list of World Heritage in Danger. Dam construction on the lake's feeder rivers has produced major changes to the ecological balance of the lake and wetlands.
Because dams have sharply reduced the freshwater inflow to the lakes and marshes, the reedbeds, sedges, and other fresh-water plant species have been replaced with salt-loving plants. These changes have produced a sharp reduction in the migratory bird populations, which depend on the mix of plants that used to exist.
According to the UNESCO Website, the Tunisian government has undertaken some steps to retain freshwater and reduce salinity, and the lake was removed from UNESCO's list of World heritage in danger in 2006.
However some reports from the World Conservation Union suggest that the salinity has already become excessively high and the possibility for rehabilitation may be rapidly disappearing.
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