JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has launched a series of virtual training and technical workshops in collaboration with Kuwait’s Environment Public Authority. The sessions will run through September and October under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on environmental protection, rehabilitation and conservation. The initiative aims to strengthen knowledge-sharing and technical cooperation while supporting regional efforts to address environmental challenges. Writing on its official X account, the center said the workshops aimed to strengthen cooperation and exchange knowledge and expertise in environmental protection, rehabilitation and conservation, while supporting regional efforts to address environmental challenges. The center will hold five specialized workshops focused on combating desertification and restoring degraded land. Topics include using remote sensing technologies to identify and assess degraded land, field survey methods, and economic and social approaches to evaluating land degradation. The methodologies are used in Saudi Arabia to assess the extent and severity of land degradation through approved measurement tools and in line with national and international best practices. The center said the approaches can support policymaking and decision-making to combat desertification, limit land degradation and protect ecosystems. The workshops will also examine the role of green belts in reducing sand encroachment and highlight Saudi Arabia’s experience in managing invasive plant species. The initiative is part of the Kingdom’s efforts to expand regional cooperation in desertification control, land restoration and environmental assessment. It also supports Saudi Vision 2030 objectives and broader international efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of climate change. The center is responsible for developing, protecting and rehabilitating vegetation cover across the Kingdom, monitoring encroachments and combating illegal logging. It also oversees rangelands, forests and national parks, contributing to sustainable development and the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative.