TunSea Association for Participatory Science Launches Awareness Campaign Against Beach Plowing
The TunSea Association for Participatory Science has launched an awareness campaign against beach plowing, a destructive practice often mispresented as "cleaning". Under the slogan "Our beach is alive... not a farm!", the initiative denounces the ecological damage caused by the passage of heavy machinery on Tunisian coastlines.
The Devastating Effects of Beach Plowing
Beach plowing, which involves turning over sand with tractors or bulldozers, leads to the destruction of dunes, crushes bird nests and sea turtle eggs, and annihilates the natural role of sand as a barrier against coastal erosion. The consequences are both immediate and long-lasting: coastline retreat, collapse of marine biodiversity, and widespread ecological imbalance.
A False Notion of Cleanliness
"It's not cleaning, it's the destruction of a fragile ecosystem," the association states on its Facebook page, emphasizing that these operations, justified by a false notion of cleanliness, have a high cost for everyone: loss of species, accelerated erosion, and degradation of coastal natural heritage.
Proposed Solutions
In response to this situation, TunSea proposes three priority measures:
- Immediate and categorical cessation of beach plowing
- Systematic adoption of fauna- and flora-friendly cleaning methods
- Enhanced protection of sensitive areas during critical nesting and breeding periods
Preserving Tunisian Coastlines
The campaign calls for preserving Tunisian coastlines not as spaces to be domesticated, but as living ecosystems to be protected. By raising awareness about the devastating effects of beach plowing, TunSea aims to promote a culture of respect and conservation for these vital and fragile environments.
