Analyzing forest users’ destructive behavior in Northern Tunisia

An analysis of forest offense statistics in Northern Tunisia, where most of the countryʹs woodlands are located, showed rising trends for all types of offenses, in addition to illegal hunting and clearing, between 1989 and 1996. Major offenses included clearing, logging, and ploughing, while minor offenses were primarily unlawful stocking, hunting, and handling of forest products. Users with the greatest destructive behavior belonged to the districts of Jendouba, Kasserine, Le Kef, and Bizerte, while the lowest offense frequency occurred in Tunis and its neighboring districts. The ratio of forest offenses per capita was positively correlated with ruralism and the proportion of forest cover in the regionʹs districts. However, forest availability and its implied open-access policy were overriding in promoting users’ destructive behavior. The positive correlation between forest offenses and eroded soils also demonstrated the detrimental impact of open-access on the sustainability of forest resources.