RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is continuing to tackle desertification by expanding its green space, especially in its protected nature reserves.
On Wednesday, the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Development Authority and the National Center for Vegetation Cover signed an MoU to develop vegetation cover and protect diversity in the reserve.
Mohammed Al-Shaalan, CEO of the ITBA authority, said the MoU is a continuation of the authority’s efforts to preserve vegetation cover so that the reserve becomes an international attraction and an ecotourism destination rich in heritage and nature, preserving these with the participation of the local community and strengthening ecotourism. He said that the signing of the MoU comes as the “Saudi Green Initiative Forum” and the “Middle East Green Initiative Summit” are held later this month.
Located north of the Kingdom’s capital, the reserve was established in 2018 by royal decree. The area covers 91,500 sq km and is home to more than 120 different types of flora and more than 60 types of fauna such as the Arabian wolf and spiny tail lizards.
Last March, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched initiatives that aim to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent in the region and plant 50 billion trees in the world’s largest afforestation project, which will be double the size of the Great Green Wall in the Sahel region, the second biggest regional afforestation initiative.
Dr. Khaled bin Abdullah Al-Abdulkader, CEO of NCVC, said that the MoU aims for cooperation with the ITBA authority to cooperate in developing vegetation cover, preserving plant diversity in the reserve and involving the local community in programs that help adopt behavior that promotes environmental sustainability, and encouraging investment founded on the international principles of ecotourism to achieve optimal management and operation of plant resources.
Measure taken to further protect vegetation and combat desertification in Saudi Arabia
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Measure taken to further protect vegetation and combat desertification in Saudi Arabia
Saudi defense minister receives Mukalla port director, thanks him for heroic role
- Prince Khalid thanked Basamir for his heroic and humanitarian role in ensuring safety and protecting lives and property at the port
RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman received the director of the Port of Mukalla Salem Basamir on Tuesday.
In a post on social media platform X, Prince Khalid thanked Basamir for his heroic and humanitarian role in ensuring safety and protecting lives and property at the port.
The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen carried out a limited airstrike in December targeting foreign military support at the Port of Mukalla in the Hadramaut governorate, where calm has been restored after a period of tension.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency following the strikes, coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said two ships coming from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates entered the Port of Mukalla without obtaining official permits from the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition.
“The crews of the two ships disabled their tracking systems and unloaded a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles to support the Southern Transitional Council forces in the eastern governorates of Yemen (Hadramaut and Al-Mahra) with the aim of fueling the conflict. This is a clear violation of the truce and the pursuit of a peaceful solution, as well as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2216,” said the spokesman.
