Aymen Nefla

University of Tunis El Manar | FST · Department of Biology

Mangrove ecosystems play a vital role in supporting the health of coastal communities and the environment by offering a range of ecosystem services, such as supplying food, purifying water, and contributing to climate change mitigation. However, biodiversity loss and habitat degradation hinder mangroves' ability to deliver these services. This chap...

This chapter outlines the significance of mangrove habitats in sustaining kingfisher populations, focusing on Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve (KVCR) and adjacent Kallampara mangroves, which serve as an important nutrient resource for them in the area. Mangroves are vital ecosystems for kingfishers, providing essential shelter and sufficient...

The Western Ghats is one of the hotspots of biodiversity in the world. This is a descriptive study, conducted at the foothills of Western Ghats for understanding the complex interaction between frugivorous birds and trees. The bird count and abundance were assessed using the distance line transect method and the fruit preferences of birds were reco...

Habitat fragmentation and degradation in natural wetlands has resulted in declines in the populations of shorebirds in the Indian subcontinent. Shorebirds rely on these wetlands as wintering or stop-over sites along the southern extent of the Central Asian Flyway. Shorebirds are known to utilize agroecosystems as alternate foraging habitats. The su...

To evaluate the exposure risk and ingestion of microplastics by migratory shorebirds, which are regarded as apex predators in the coastal ecosystem, this study investigated the ubiquitous presence of microplastics in estuarine and coastal habitats and their potential to be transferred in the food chains. We analysed the presence of microplastics in...

Heavy metal pollution in Indian wetlands is rising due to industrial, agricultural and urban development activities. Shorebirds occupy upper trophic levels and are therefore especially vulnerable to heavy metal pollution. We evaluated the concentration of heavy metals (zinc, copper, cobalt, chromium, lead and cadmium) in 22 common species of migran...

Fragile wetland habitats are susceptible to multiple threats from anthropogenic activities. Direct waste deposition, habitat modification and overexploitation of fish have caused alternations in food webs in wetlands. Kingfishers are ecological indicators with the potential ability to respond to the minute changes in their microenvironment. Their a...

Bahrain is a cluster of islands in the mid-section of the Arabian Gulf that serves as an important wintering and stop-over ground for many migratory shorebirds in the Central Asian Flyway (CAF). However, natural and anthropogenic factors have had a significant impact on these ecosystems over the last few decades. Long-term, systematic studies based...

Changaram wetland is an important stopover ground for migratory shorebirds, gulls, terns, and other waterbirds in the western coast of Kerala and it encompasses major habitats like exposed mudfats, mangrove fringes, and an agroecosystem. A total of 77 species of waterbirds (shorebirds, large wading birds, gulls, and terns) including long distance m...

The present study investigated the long-term fluctuation in the hydrological and substrate variables at different habitats of Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve (KVCR) over the last decade. We hypothesize that natural impact represented by climate change and long-term impact from anthropogenic activities including industrialization and intensi...

The identification of migration dates and wintering zones for migratory birds are key elements for the understanding of the Afro-Palearctic migration system. From 2015 to 2022, a large scale survey of Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur, a vulnerable species, was established in Northwest Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. We monitored mi...

Migratory shorebirds that move across continents along their flyways are undergoing a drastic decline globally. A greater proportion of them that regularly winter along the Indian coasts within the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) are also undergoing severe declines. However, the mechanisms underlying the population trends in these areas remain little un...

Wetlands forms peculiar and complicated ecosystems around the globe, with nexus of diverse groups of associated components and organisms. Recently, these ecosystems are facing a serious threat of rapid deterioration owing to the unethical human interventions and this in turn has affected the occurrence and abundance of biota at all trophic levels i...

Environmental pollution and climate change are causing major changes in the marine environment. Coastal zones around the world are experiencing changes such as nutrient influx, resulting in altered plankton communities. The aim of this study was to determine the response of zooplankton to the changes in the environmental variables in the coastal zo...

Cet ouvrage est édité dans le cadre du projet Med’Ex (Medjerda Expedition), projet initié en 2016 et poursuivi dans sa deuxième phase en 2019. Il est soutenu par le programme PPI-OSCAN, « Programme des Petites Initiatives pour les Organisations de la Société Civile d’Afrique du Nord » sous l’égide du Centre de Coopération pour la Méditerranée de l’...

Ce livre, conçu par l’association Exploralis dans le cadre du projet Med’Ex (Medjerda Expédition), soutenu par le programme PPI-OSCAN et financé par la fondation MAVA et le Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial, se concentre sur la conservation de l’écosystème complexe de la Medjerda en Tunisie. Depuis 2016, Med’Ex observe la dynamique écolog...

The extreme south of Tunisia is known for its restricted and difficult access. This is explained on the one hand by the fact that it is a highly protected military zone (since it delimits the border of Tunisia with Algeria and Libya, which makes visits very limited). And on the other hand, by the severe meteorological and geographical conditions su...

Background The Maghreb Magpie ( Pica mauritanica ) is an endemic North African species. Available knowledge on this species is limited to historic descriptive data with no ecological information provided. Populations continue to dramatically decline in Tunisia, where only one relic population survives. Investigating the breeding biology of this spe...

Catalogue réalisé dans le cadre du projet : Valorisation de la Richesse de la Réserve Naturelle de Khroufa financé par l'ambassade de Suisse en Tunisie. Ce catalogue vous permet de découvrir les richesses naturelles de cette réserve Tunisienne perchée entre les montagnes des Mogods et de la Kroumirie. Catalog realized within the framework of the p...

The long distant, transcontinental migration of shorebirds entails many well identified costs in terms of time, energy, and direct mortality risk. Injuries from debris or from human structures and activities were observed as the major reasons for the direct mortality of shorebirds during migration worldwide. We recorded injured birds in major coast...

Shorebirds around the world have been undergoing significant declines as well as alterations in patterns of migratory phenology due to major changes in the environment. Many of these changes have been linked with anthropogenic factors such as urbanization, environmental degradation, habitat loss and global climate change. We studied the abundance o...

This study was carried out at Galite archipelago over two consecutive breeding seasons (2014 and 2015). We investigated the breeding ecology of Eleonora’s falcon population in Galite archipelago by providing detailed data on its breeding biology and assessing the nesting parameters. Overall, 127 Eleonora’s falcon breeding pairs were recorded in all...

We studied the foraging patterns of three kingfishers’ species, White Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), Small Blue Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) and Lesser Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis); hereafter stated as WTK, SBK, LPK respectively; from December 2015 to September 2016. This work was carried out in the two wetlands located at Mavoor (N 11˚1...

The aim of this work is to describe the impact of anthropic pressure on the breeding sites of the Great Waders through the study of the Glossy Ibis breeding attempt in a highly urbanized area inside the metropolis of Casablanca. We investigated the breeding habitat use and evaluated the breeding success of the species. The expansion of a small reed...

The Indian subcontinent is the primary wintering ground and stopover site for migratory shorebirds to refuel along the Central Asian and South Asian Flyways. Despite the conservation importance of this region for migratory shorebirds, we lack information on the distribution and abundance of over-summering shorebirds—migrants that remain on their wi...

This work aims to clarify the current breeding status of the Glossy Ibis and describe the recent population dynamics of the species in Tunisia. We have used bibliographic data from 25 ornithologists and personal observations made during our long-term monitoring of the Tunisian wetlands. The Glossy Ibis was always observed in the winter (56.74% of o...

In order to defi ne appropriate conservation measures in northern Tunisia we surveyed the bat fauna of Mastouta-Bishshouk region in both roosting sites and foraging areas. A total of 11 species was recorded. We found only three occupied roosts including a maternity colony of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Miniopterus schreibersii and Myotis cappacinii...

L’inventaire des Mammifères terrestres de la région Mastouta-Bishshouk a été réalisé entre mai 2016 et avril 2017 dans les principaux habitats. Il a permis de recenser 17 espèces, dont 6 Carnivores et 7 Rongeurs. Le Hérisson d'Algérie, le Sanglier, le Lièvre du Cap, la Mangouste ichneumon, la Mérione de Shaw, la Gerbille champêtre et le Rat noir so...

Waterbirds are globally declining as a result of habitat loss, alteration or degradation. Fishing activities may affect waterbird distribution, abundance and diversity, and traditional fishing activities often enhance waterbird abundance. We tested this hypothesis by studying the abundance and diversity of selected common waterbird species in the K...

This project consists in studying the flora, the avifauna, the herpetofauna, the mammals and the entomofauna of the Medjerda river, at the mouth of the artificial lake of the Sidi Salem dam. The project area is environmentally important considering the presence of certain marshlands characterized by a complex ecological dynamism. This inventory o...

Cet ouvrage est édité dans le cadre du programme PPI-OSCAN « Programme des Petites Initiatives pour les Organisations de la Société Civile d’Afrique du Nord », mis en œuvre par le Centre de Coopération pour la Méditerranée de l’Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature (UICN-Med) et fi nancé conjointement par la fondation MAVA et le Fo...

This study was carried out at Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia, during 2009 and 2010. The influence of environmental variables on the foraging behavior of three Ardeid species was studied. Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) were the least active of the three species, having the greatest resting percentages in 2009 (55.0%) and 2010 (64.9%); they primarily us...

We studied reproduction patterns and habitat use by Herons at Lebna, Chikli and Ichkeul wetlands in Northern Tunisia during 2009 and 2010. The largest number of herons was recorded at Ichkeul after completion of breeding. Cattle Egrets preferred farmlands but also inhabited marshes. However, all other species (Grey Herons, Great White Herons, Littl...

Scopoli’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) is a Procellariiform endemic to the Mediterranean Basin which is considered to be vulnerable in Europe due to recent local declines and its susceptibility to both marine and terrestrial threats. In the 1970s–1980s, its population size was estimated at 57,000–76,000 breeding pairs throughout the Mediterran...

Tunisian geckos count nine species (1 is insular relict, 1 is endemic, 2 are ubiquitous and 5 are enfeoffed). We aim to determine factors influencing their distributions. Surveys were founded on environmental divisions. Presence/absence data for 113 grids were analyzed using multivariate tools. 18 environmental variables were revealed and clustered...

We studied the reproduction patterns of Squacco Herons, Ardeola ralloides, during 2009–2010. This study was carried out in two colonies located at Ichkeul National Park (37.184992 N, 9.633758 E) and Lebna Dam (36.744161 N, 10.916569 E), in northern Tunisia. We determined the reproductive performance of the species, and investigated the relationship...

Analysis of 594 pellets of three heron species (Little Egret Egretta garzetta, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and Squacco Heron Ardeola ralbides) collected at colonies in northern Tunisia (lchkeul National Park, Lebna Dam and Chikli Island). Cattle Egrets consumed preferably insects (most important group in number and biomass), vertebrates did not exce...

The study of the reproduction of the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) in Tunisia was undertaken from 2008 to 2010. Until the discovery of nesting in 2008, this species had only been considered as wintering in Tunisia. The Tunisian breeding population resides in the Lebna Dam in the north east of the country where it forms a mixed nesting colony w...

The largest population of Scopoli's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea was previously estimated on Zembra Island, Tunisia at 15,000-25,000 pairs. A distanc e-s ampling survey c onducted in 2009 and 2010 resulted in a new estimate of 141,780 breeding pairs (95 % CI: 113,720-176,750). This results in a re-estimation of the global population size, also s...