It might be hard to imagine that only 150 kilometers away from the clashes and shelling in Tripoli, lies a tranquil peninsula along the turquoise western coast called Farwah Island.
“I have had a never-ending love story with this place,” said Hafez Fatis, who has lived most of his life in this Mediterranean paradise. “Farwah has everything it takes to make it one of the most beautiful tourist islands in the world. Unfortunately, the former regime deliberately marginalized this area and that discouraged investment.”
It might be hard to imagine that only 150 kilometers away from the clashes and shelling in Tripoli, lies a tranquil peninsula along the turquoise western coast called Farwah Island.
“I have had a never-ending love story with this place,” said Hafez Fatis, who has lived most of his life in this Mediterranean paradise. “Farwah has everything it takes to make it one of the most beautiful tourist islands in the world. Unfortunately, the former regime deliberately marginalized this area and that discouraged investment.”
The marginalization of the island also led to the neglect of its environment over decades and the land area has been steadily shrinking, according to a study conducted by Libyan geographical researcher Nadia Abu al-Shawashi.
Using analysis collected from Landsat from 1987 to 2013, al-Shawashi’s study concluded that during this time, Farwah Island decreased by 1596 square kilometers. The island only had an area of 4.6 kilometers in 2013— the continued decrease in its size at this rate could lead to its full disappearance within 70 years, says Abu al-Shawashi.
Ecological disaster
Other environmental dangers facing Farwah include over grazing by agricultural workers in the Abi Kammash area, which is depleting the island’s vegetation. Yet with no compensation measures, (ie replanting) the ecessive grazing is leading to the disintegration and erosion of the land, according to Abu al-Shawashi.
Among the most important recommendations of Abu al-Shawashis’s study were: preventing grazing and cultivating the island with drought-resistant plants in order to stop soil and coastal erosion, and building breakwaters and barriers.
Authorities are aware of the environmental problems facing the region. “We, as a municipal council, are studying what we can do first in terms of research and second in terms of protection mechanisms to conserve Farwah and other landmarks of the city,” said Nadia Muammar, a member of the Municipal Council in Zuwarah.
Yet residents are not convinced by this promise from authorities after so many years of governmental neglect and have started civic initiatives.
Grassroots activism to preserve biodiversity
Lifelong resident Hafez Fatis is a founding member of the Besida Association, a collective of residents and activists dedicated to protecting Farwah Island’s environment, especially in response to the damage done by visitors.
The island attracts divers interested in the marine biodiversity and underwater scenery in Farwah’s lake. Wildlife enthusiasts are drawn by the several species of wild animals including a variety of 28 species of migratory birds, and the island is also home to the breeding of sea turtles. “But some people hunt them with no mercy and they are becoming extinct,” Fatis says.
The association has held workshops about the nesting of sea turtles. In cooperation with the Badu Environmental Association, Besida monitored 11 nests for 90 days and was able to save nine.
The Besida Association also joined up with the Youth Hostels’ Association to close the eastern waterway of the island known as Fam al-Wadi or Emmy-Wad, in order to prevent desert cars from driving through.
Farwah in history
Wael Fetais, an historical researcher said that Sherif al-Idrisi wrote in his books about a site which he called Ras al-Makhbaz, and by this name he meant Farwah which faces the Saleh Palace. He added that this name had also been mentioned by traveler al-Ayyashi in his book entitled ‘The Journey of al-Ayyashi’ in the 17th century and in the books of the German traveler Heinrich von Maltzan.
This island was a good place for docking of ships carrying salt from the salt plants areas as mentioned by traveler al-Tijani in his book ‘Al-Tijani Journey 1307’ according to Fatais. It witnessed the arrival of the first troops of the Italian invasion in 1911 and it was one of the landing places for Italy’s forces.
The inhabitants of the island are the Amazigh of Zuwarah, who became famous when they sheltered the former Tunisian leader Habib Bourguiba after fleeing from Tunisia in 1948. They received him and provided him a safe passage to Zuwarah, according to Saleh al-Daridi’s book ‘The Big March’ (Al-Masira al-Kubra).
