UN announces 2024 as International Year of Camelids
UN announces 2024 as International Year of Camelids/node/1720411/saudi-arabia
UN announces 2024 as International Year of Camelids
Camels are pictured with a drone during the annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, some 160 kilometres east of Riyadh, on January 7, 2020. (AFP)
UN announces 2024 as International Year of Camelids
The initiative by the UN General Assembly was made after a recommendation by the FAO
Updated 17 August 2020
Arab News
JEDDAH: The UN has designated 2024 as International Year of Camelids to highlight their important role in communities.
The UN allocated the year within its policy of identifying and allocating years to specific themes to focus the world’s attention to them. The initiative was welcomed by Fahad F. Bin Hithleen, founder and president of the International Camel Organization (ICO), a non-profit organization.
The ICO's board of directors and members are keen to ensure that programs and events are in line with the goals set by the UN for the International Year of Camelids, Bin Hithleen said.
Important goals include the protection of ecosystems, combating desertification, stopping land degradation and biodiversity loss, ensuring the provision of food security, improved nutrition and sustainable agriculture, in cooperation with international organizations and associations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).
The initiative by the UN General Assembly was made after a recommendation by the FAO.
Saudi Arabia targets 50 wildlife breeding programs within 5 years
Strategy follows surging interest in protecting prized native species
Updated 5 sec ago
Hebshi Alshammari
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s top wildlife protection body has launched a plan to operate 50 breeding programs by 2030 and improve environmental balance, its CEO has said.
Mohammed Ali Qurban, head of the National Center for Wildlife, said the number of programs has already surged from seven to 21 in recent years, amid renewed interest in the protection of valued native species.
The breeding programs are based on precise scientific principles, starting with the selection of suitable species at research centers, followed by veterinary care and specialized nutrition programs, he added.
At the final stage, protected species are rehabilitated for release and monitored using the latest tracking and data analysis technologies.
The relocation of more than 10,000 animals in Saudi Arabia is “an important step in restoring ecosystems and enhancing environmental balance in the Kingdom,” Qurban said.
Veterinary scientists at work at the National Center for Wildlife's laboratory. (Supplied)
“Releasing wildlife into the wild contributes to forming new populations capable of self-reproduction; these releases support the genetic diversity of wild populations and enhance their ability to resist disease and adapt to environmental changes,” he added.
Releases have so far included more than 80 priority species, most notably reem antelopes, Arabian oryx, idmi gazelles, mountain ibex, houbara bustards, ostriches and sandgrouses. The animals were released within their historical and ecological ranges.
Qurban said that the plans take into account the carrying capacity of natural habitats and the importance of safe ecological corridors that connect protected areas to facilitate species movement and population sustainability.
Release sites are spread across more than 60 diverse environmental locations, including natural reserves, royal reserves and national parks, as well as strategic sites within the Kingdom’s giga-projects, ensuring the dispersal of animals across their targeted geographical ranges.
The efforts are part of a national integrated framework to support the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative, Vision 2030 and the National Environment Strategy, aiming to achieve thriving and sustainable wildlife and ecosystems, Qurban said.
