Society
1.24.2022
The ambitious Saudi project to green the desert
Saudi Arabia is committed to the environment with the National Parks Program. This program will benefit the kingdom’s natural spaces as well as local communities.
The National Center for Land Cover Development and Combating Desertification plans to establish 100 protected national parks and plant 50 million trees within five years. Under the Saudi Green Initiative, Saudi Arabia intends to preserve its natural heritage by promoting climate action at home and abroad.
The revitalization of the ecosystems will be done in partnership with governmental organizations as well as by workers from environmental associations.
The project includes some of the most important sites in Saudi Arabia with historical, cultural and geological value. “The Edge of the World”, located northwest of Riyadh, formed about 180 million years ago, will be the focus of the program.
The Edge of the World, “Jebel Fihray”, in the heart of the National Parks Program.
A forward-looking program for “Vision 2030”
The project is part of the Saudi kingdom’s broader “Vision 2030” achievement, which is notably centered around economic diversification, cultural and tourist development, as well as the preservation of the environment.
“The National Parks Program is part of the green renaissance of the Saudi kingdom”
Indeed, developing and preserving national parks in arid areas would have many positive consequences on the environment.
Above all, the restoration of the vegetation cover, which has been drastically reduced in recent years, would benefit the locals. Dust storms, in the first place, would be contained by the vegetation. In addition, support for reforestation efforts in the drylands could attract a lot of investment and provide many job opportunities. Greening Saudi Arabia’s landscapes would boost sustainable tourism, and encourage agricultural cultivation and restoration of biodiversity.
An ambitious first step towards a green and exemplary Arabia
“Allocating lands for national parks is an important primary step in protecting the vast areas of government lands that are scattered and untapped, and converting them into vast vegetation reserves”
As the first ally in the fight against greenhouse gases, trees are a key to combating climate disruption. And this, Saudi Arabia understands it.
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