RIYADH: As countries around the world push to invest in nature-based solutions to environmental problems, experts in Saudi Arabia came together in Riyadh to discuss the most pressing issues at the inaugural National Greening Forum. 

Launched under the patronage of Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, the forum was organized by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification and attended by Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing Majed Al-Hogail, several other ministers, organisations and specialists from local, regional and international sectors related to the environment.

CEO of the center, Khalid Al-Abdulqader, said in his opening speech that the forum will “unify and consolidate national efforts to enhance vegetation cover and mitigate land degradation.”

Addressing the restoration of green spaces in the Kingdom, he said: “We are committed to restoring natural green spaces using sustainable irrigation methods, planting local tree species, and ensuring their protection and monitoring through advanced technologies.”

In a panel discussion titled “Nature-Based Solutions: Key to Transformation,” industry specialists and experts discussed various issues related to promoting the natural growth of trees and their environmental effect, as well as the industries tied to environmental issues and ways their institutions work to find sustainable solutions for the future. 

“Vegetation and afforestation are part of nature, which includes the atmosphere, soil, and organisms. The correlation between all of these is the main element for these solutions. So, organizing and monitoring this relationship is key for sustainability and greening,” said Dr. Ahmed Al-Farhan, board member of the center and a faculty member at King Saud University.

For ages, large plumes of dust and sand sweeping across most of Saudi Arabia were a natural, seasonal occurrence, but this year there has been an unusual and noticeable decrease in sandstorms. 

Jamaan Al-Qahtani, executive director of the Regional Center for Dust and Sandstorms, explained: “Sandstorms need two factors to occur: dry, load-bearing soil and winds fast enough to carry it.” A few years ago, he said, there were indications that the Kingdom was experiencing fewer sandstorms.

“This April was a 60 percent drop on the average of the past 20 years. March was 30 percent, and January was more than 60 percent. Last year, Riyadh had a record of only one sandstorm.”

Explaining the reason behind this, he said: “We attribute that firstly to rainfall and the timing of that rainfall. When rain falls during the best time for vegetation, that helps with stabilizing the soil.”

The environmental system also plays a pivotal role in preventing degradation, as well as laws that restrain individuals and other entities from tampering with the environment.

Sand and dust storms affect 11 of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals. For example, 7 million people in total die from all sources of air pollution and degraded air quality. The Middle East and North Africa region loses $150 billion annually due to weather and climate disasters, Al-Qahtani said.  

To meet the growing demand for fresh water in Saudi Arabia, authorities launched a project in 2022 that alters the structure of clouds to increase rainfall; a technique known as cloud seeding.

Ayman Al-Bar, executive director of the Regional Cloud Seeding Program, said “environmental phenomena have become much more severe and common than before.” He went on to say that one of the initiatives under the Middle East Green Initiative, the cloud seeding program, targets an increase in rainfall of between 10% and 20%.

The various initiatives under the program work to intensify vegetation cover, combat desertification, localize technology, and transfer knowledge, he said. In the fifth stage, which covers Riyadh, Hail, and southern parts such as Abha, Taif, and Asir, 1,530 flight hours were spent on precipitation efforts and 110 hours on research. “Preliminary reports indicate that precipitation exceeds 4 billion cubic meters of rainfall in the targeted area,” Al-Bar said.

Dr. Talal Al-Harigi, CEO of Imam Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve, said: “When it comes to carbon sequestration, which is capturing carbon through natural solutions, trees naturally grow by taking in carbon dioxide. When some soil patches deteriorate, we’ve undergone processes for soil rehabilitation and preparing them to receive rain either from rainfall or other sources.” 

Nature reserves are a prime example of nature-based solutions, Al-Harigi said. Within the Imam Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve, the King Khalid Royal Reserve, and others, authorities found that vegetation cover was refreshed and that there was greater soil stability, as well as improved soil fertility. 

Ultimately, most industries are affected by environmental deterioration and climate change, and while natural disasters are expected to increase and worsen, Saudi Arabia has taken a leading role in creating sustainable solutions for generations to come.

The forum highlighted the role of public, private and nonprofit sectors in achieving the Saudi Green Initiative target of planting 10 billion trees and providing a platform to participating organisations to engage and exchange knowledge.

RIYADH: During the KSA-Canada Education Partnership Forum in Riyadh on Monday, Saudi Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan emphasized the need for “practical partnerships” between the two countries, stating that he is not interested in more agreements, but rather in meaningful collaborations.

“I want you to think beyond the traditional way of partnerships. We have had a lot of MoUs (memorandums of understanding) that have been signed previously and I want to tell you I am not interested in more MoUs. We want to make sure that these are carried into practical solutions,” Al-Benyan told the forum.

The Canadian Embassy, in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Education, hosted the forum, bringing together leading educational institutions from Canada and the Kingdom to explore areas of collaboration.

The forum will continue on Tuesday with discussions focused on joint study programs, collaborative research initiatives, curriculum development, student and faculty exchanges, and partnerships in technical and vocational training.

Jean-Philippe Linteau, the Canadian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said: “Canada is back, and Canada is eager to work with Saudi Arabia.

“We have over 70 people that have traveled from Canada and we have over 70 Saudi institutions that are here to meet them, (this) shows (that) the desire, the appetite for that collaboration between our two countries in the education sector is very, very strong,” the envoy told Arab News. 

“I am confident that out of today we will have many partnerships and successes that will develop over time for the benefit of Saudi students and Canadian education institutions as well,” he added. 

Spearheaded by the Canadian Embassy’s trade division, the education forum brought together leaders from several universities, including the University of Toronto, McMaster University, Western University, Humber College, and dozens of others.

The forum will include a tour for the Canadian delegation to meet the senior leadership of King Saud University, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.

On Tuesday, experts will discuss key areas of cooperation within the framework of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, including information technology, tourism and hospitality, healthcare, clean energy, mining, and agriculture.

The Saudi minister said that this forum marks “the start of a practical partnership” that “looks into the ways and means to make an impact.”

Al-Benyan added: “We would like to see more student exchange and faculty exchange.” 

The Canadian envoy in turn emphasized the importance of people-to-people ties when growing partnerships. 

He told Arab News: “The best thing that can happen is we brought all of these people from Canada here, they will see the new Saudi Arabia, they will go back and they will tell people what they saw and what they missed, for the ones that were not here, and I think we will get more and more collaboration coming up.”