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El Zrelli R, Hcine A, Yacoubi L, Roa-Ureta RH, Gallai N, Castet S, Grégoire M, Courjault-Radé P, Rabaoui LJ. Economic losses related to the reduction of Posidonia ecosystem services in the Gulf of Gabes (Southern Mediterranean Sea). Mar Pollut Bull 2023; 186:114418. [PMID: 36462419 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In the early XXth century, the Gulf of Gabes in SE Tunisia used to host the most extended Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds in the Mediterranean basin and was a highly productive hotspot of benthic species. Since the 70's, >500 million t of wet toxic phosphogypsum discharges from a fertilizer industrial complex have led to the gradual loss of ∼90 % of its initial surface. This drastic shrinkage is accompanied by significant value losses originated from the direct and indirect-use services of which the most important ones are small scale fisheries and carbon storage function. Using market valuations of a number of services we estimate economic losses at 105 million € in 2014 (∼915€/ha), i.e., around 115 % of the added value of the gabesian fertilizer factories for the same year. Value losses should increase in the near future in relation with the COP26 agreements which boosted the open carbon credit market. Without actions to reduce negative production externalities caused by the fertilizer industry in the Gulf of Gabes it would not be possible to recover Posidonia ecosystems in this region leading to further economic, ecologic, and cultural losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radhouan El Zrelli
- SADEF Agronomy & Environment, 30 Rue de la Station, 68700 Aspach-le-Bas, France.
| | - Ahlem Hcine
- University of Sfax, Faculty of Economics and Management of Sfax, Research Laboratory in Competitiveness, Commercial Decisions and Internationalisation (CODECI), Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Lamia Yacoubi
- University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Science of Tunis, Laboratory of Biodiversity and Parasitology of Aquatic Ecosystems (LR18ES05), University Campus, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia
| | | | - Nicola Gallai
- LEREPS, ENFA, Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse Cedex F31042, France
| | - Sylvie Castet
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Université de Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS/UPS/IRD/CNES, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Michel Grégoire
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Université de Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS/UPS/IRD/CNES, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Pierre Courjault-Radé
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Université de Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS/UPS/IRD/CNES, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Lotfi Jilani Rabaoui
- University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Science of Tunis, Laboratory of Biodiversity and Parasitology of Aquatic Ecosystems (LR18ES05), University Campus, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia; National Center for Wildlife, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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