The Chenini Oasis, near Gabès (Tunisia) is the only sea oasis of the Mediterranean.
In 2008 the Ministry of the Environment of Tunisia proposed to include it in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
The oasis, a little corner of paradise, is in danger. Palm groves are disappearing, and water sources which once made it propsperous are drying up, substitued by water pumps which provide water at high cost. The groundwater gets lower every year. The farmers ask for help to save Chenini: the oasis biodiveristy is at risk due to the presence of the cement factories, sprung up in recent years, and the development of the phosphates industry, which causes pollution, disease and the exploitation of the sources. Young people leave Chenini to study and look for fortune far away. Kamel continues to live here, and cultivates using biological methods. Together with other old farmers he belongs to an association which works to distribute the oasis products in the markets, and to defend the oasis. An heritage of knowledge which is at risk of being lost.
