RIYADH: A virtual reality show illustrating what the soon-to-be-constructed Neom city will look like drew big crowds at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh yesterday.
Plans for the $500 billion mega city and business zone on the Red Sea were unveiled on Tuesday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Neom will be one of the biggest projects of its kind and will be powered by renewable energy such as solar and wind, be drone-friendly and a center for new technologies including research into areas such as artificial intelligence.
The demonstration at the forum highlighted Neom’s potential and offered delegates a glimpse of the future, with robots on hand to answer questions from curious and sometimes amused delegates.
People were taken into an enclave at half-hour intervals for a guided tour that lasted 15 minutes. The show started with a panoramic video of the project and displayed dazzling examples of what a 21st century smart city might look like. Neom will focus on industries including energy and water, biotechnology, food, advanced manufacturing and entertainment, the crown prince said won Tuesday.
“The focus on these sectors will stimulate economic growth and diversification by nurturing international innovation and manufacturing, to drive local industry, job creation, and GDP growth in the Kingdom,” he said. Neom will attract private as well as public investments and partnerships.
The zone will be financially supported by KSA, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, and local and international investors.
The business and industrial city will be located in the Kingdom’s northwestern region and is the world’s first zone to extend across three countries, stretching its borders into neighboring Jordan and Egypt. It will be adjacent to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, and near maritime trade routes that use the Suez Canal.
Inside the main forum, meanwhile, panel discussions looked at themes such as: “How is the next generation reshaping business, culture, investment, and society?”
Delegates heard that in many countries, people under the age of 30 represented the largest demographic — and the central economic force of the future.
“Tidal waves of young people were entering the job market and creating significant challenges and even greater opportunities,” said one panelist. Speakers discussed ways of coping with the huge demands on societies, both economic and political, that are certain to arise in the years ahead.
‘Virtual’ Neom wows Future Investment Initiative delegates
‘Virtual’ Neom wows Future Investment Initiative delegates
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National program identifies 165 native plants for afforestation efforts in Asir
- The survey is part of broader plans focused on restoring degraded land, using native vegetation
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s National Afforestation Program has identified more than 165 species of native plants suitable for afforestation in the Asir region, highlighting the ecological diversity of one of the Kingdom’s most environmentally varied areas, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The findings form part of broader national efforts to expand vegetation cover, address land degradation, and support sustainability goals linked to the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030.
According to the program, the identified species are distributed across a wide range of natural environments in Asir, including mountainous terrain, highlands, slopes, valleys, plains, rocky landscapes, and coastal areas stretching from the Red Sea to Tihama.
The species belong to numerous plant families, including Fabaceae, Anacardiaceae, Burseraceae, Capparaceae, Ebenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Oleaceae, and Primulaceae, among others.
Plants suitable for afforestation range from large and small trees to perennial and annual shrubs, herbs, succulents, bulbs, and climbing plants.
Among the most notable species identified are the grey mangrove, mastic tree, mooring or ben tree, juniper, sycamore fig, wild olive, henna, wild jasmine, hawthorn, and arak.
The Saudi Arabian Botanical Society described the announcement as an important step in protecting plant diversity and strengthening the ecosystem conservation in the Kingdom.
Munirah bin Hamad Al-Hazani, founder and president of the society, said that prioritizing native species is central to sustainable afforestation.
“Focusing on the cultivation of native plants adapted to diverse environments forms the cornerstone of sustainable afforestation projects, as it plays a pivotal role in enhancing vegetation cover, combating land degradation, and conserving natural and financial resources,” she told Arab News.
Al-Hazani added that long-term success depends on cooperation between government bodies and the nonprofit sector, alongside community involvement and environmental awareness programs.
The National Afforestation Program has increasingly emphasized community participation, working with government agencies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations to support planting initiatives and environmental education. Its approach includes promoting volunteerism and discouraging harmful environmental practices, while focusing on the use of native plants adapted to local conditions.
Parallel efforts are underway in other regions of the Kingdom to support vegetation restoration through research and infrastructure development. In Jouf, often referred to as the Kingdom’s food basket, the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has established a Central Nursery and a Wild Seeds Research and Production Station to address the growing demand for reliable sources of native seeds and seedlings.
The project was launched in 2023 under the directive of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, the minister of interior and chairman of the authority’s board of directors.
Since then, the facilities has become a key component of vegetation restoration efforts within the reserve.
The authority has focused on building operational capacity by recruiting and training specialists to manage cultivation and research activities. The research and production station includes 14 mother-seed production fields containing over 400,000 trees and shrubs.
Planting began in late 2024, with more than 30 native plant species represented, selected for their role in the reserve’s natural ecosystem.
The facility also includes two seed storage units with a combined capacity of 3,000 kilograms. Seeds are collected annually from multiple sites within the reserve and used for seedling production habitat rehabilitation.
The Central Nursery spans 6,000 square meters and includes 30 greenhouses spanning 1,500 square meters, as well as two shade houses used during summer months. A plant hardening facility, designed to prepare seedlings for natural environmental conditions, covers 10,000 square meters and is divided into seven sections. The nursery’s annual production capacity reaches 1.5 million seedlings, representing more than 15 native plant species.
Together, these initiatives underscore the growing role of native plant research and propagation in Saudi Arabia’s afforestation strategy, particularly as the Kingdom works to balance environmental restoration with long-term sustainability goals.
