RIYADH: Thousands of Riyadh residents turned out to take part in a tree-planting project as part of the Khadra Ya Darna (Greener Home) initiative launched to celebrate the 91st Saudi National Day on Sept. 23.

The trees are being planted close to King Khalid International Airport in the shape of the map of Saudi Arabia, which will be visible from the air to travelers as they fly in. It will cover an area of 170,000 square meters, which organizers say will make it one of the biggest afforested maps in the world, and an important city landmark.

The project is part of a wider Green Riyadh initiative and its director, Abdul Aziz Al-Moqbel, is delighted that so many local people volunteered to help.

“We were happy with the huge participation of young and old from all over Riyadh to support this national initiative on the 91st National Day,” he said. “We want everybody to be part of Green Riyadh, which is an environmental and sustainable initiative that will make the inhabitants of Riyadh proud of their city’s present and future.”

He added that the initiative aims to increase the share of green space in the city from the current 1.5 percent to 9.1 percent by 2030 in an effort to improve air quality, reduce temperatures, and protect the environment and biodiversity.

The participation of local people in Green Riyadh is considered one the most important elements of the project, which aims to plant 7.5 million trees in the city and is considered one of the biggest urban afforestation projects in the world.

It is one of the main projects launched in the capital by King Salman, based on initiatives introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, chairman of the board of directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh, to help achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to enhance and develop Riyadh so that it ranks in economic terms as one of the top 10 cities in the world.