Lake Ichkeul (Arabic: بحيرة اشكل, romanized: Buḥayra ʾIshkul) is a lake in northern Tunisia, found 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Bizerte, the northernmost city in Africa on the Mediterranean Sea. The lake and wetlands of Ichkeul National Park serve as an important place for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds each year. Birds that visit the area include ducks, geese, storks, and pink flamingos. The building of dams on the rivers that flow into the lake has caused major changes to the balance of the environment in the lake and wetlands.

History

During the rule of the Hafsid dynasty in the 13th century, Lake Ichkuel was a protected area. In the early 20th century, during French rule, the lake became part of the public domain. Since 1980, it has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dams have greatly reduced the flow of fresh water into the lake and surrounding wetlands. As a result, plants such as reeds and sedges, which require fresh water, have been replaced by plants that thrive in salty water. These changes have led to a significant decline in the number of migratory birds, which rely on the variety of plants that once existed in the area.

According to the UNESCO website, the Tunisian government has taken actions to preserve fresh water and lower salt levels in the lake. Because of these efforts, the lake was removed from UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in Danger in 2006.

However, reports from the World Conservation Union indicate that salt levels in the lake have become very high. These reports suggest that the chance for the lake to recover may be disappearing quickly.

Ichkeul National Park

Ichkeul National Park is a World Heritage Site in northern Tunisia, located 25 kilometers southwest of Bizerte and 15 kilometers north of Mateur. The park was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1980. It was also on UNESCO's list of World Heritage in Danger from 1996 to 2006. The park is managed by the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture.

A plant called Teucrium_schoenenbergeri Nabli, which is found only in Tunisia, was collected in 1965 within the park.