Latest news with #RoyalReserveDevelopmentAuthority
Arab News
23-04-2025
- General
- Arab News
Environment Week unites Saudis for a sustainable future
Riyadh: The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority organized a volunteer trip for more than 550 students to plant more than 3,000 seedlings during Environment Week. The initiative encourages positive environmental behavior among students, raises early age awareness, and fosters individual and collective responsibility for protecting the environment, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Held annually from April 20 to 26, Environment Week focuses on environmental awareness and sustainable practices. The 2025 theme, 'Our Environment is a Treasure,' reflects the Kingdom's efforts to conserve natural resources. The reserve supports sustainability and environmental education. It has planted more than 3 million seedlings, dispersed more than 4 tonnes of seeds and restored 700,000 hectares of land. At the Environment Week event in Sakaka, the authority is highlighting its achievements, including habitat restoration, seed dispersal and wildlife conservation. These efforts include reintroducing 1,455 animals and recording 177 new births, including endangered species such as the sand gazelle, Arabian oryx and mountain ibex. The authority's exhibition pavilion showcases the biodiversity of the reserve, home to more than 350 wildlife and 290 bird species. It also highlights initiatives to protect ecosystems, support sustainability and engage the community in conservation efforts. During Environment Week in Jeddah, government, private, and nonprofit entities showcased initiatives to raise environmental awareness and promote sustainability. The National Center for Environmental Compliance highlighted the public's role in environmental protection, compliance with regulations and reporting violations. The Vegetation Cover Development Foundation, established by the Ministry of Environment and the National Center for Vegetation Cover, presented nine initiatives aligned with the Saudi Green Initiative. These focus on environmental protection, energy transition and sustainability. Separately, the Islamic Arts Biennale hosted an interactive workshop on Jeddah's coral reefs, featuring academics from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. The workshop explored the ecological and historical significance of coral reefs, threats like bleaching, and scientific efforts in reef restoration and biodiversity conservation. Organized to connect art with environmental issues, the event aimed to foster dialogue between the arts and sciences while promoting awareness of sustainability in line with Vision 2030. As part of Environment Week, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in Umluj, along with partner agencies and volunteer divers, organized a seabed cleanup at Duqm Beach. The campaign aimed to raise awareness about marine conservation by removing debris to protect coastal wildlife and ecosystems. Volunteer divers and authorities collaborated in underwater cleanups, highlighting the impact of joint environmental efforts. The initiative supports Vision 2030 goals of promoting sustainability and encouraging public responsibility for environmental protection. In Riyadh, the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification took part in the Environment Week exhibition alongside public and private sector entities. The center launched nationwide awareness campaigns featuring interactive booths, educational activities, volunteer opportunities and greening efforts to promote public engagement in environmental protection. Its initiatives focus on restoring degraded land, conserving biodiversity, managing rangelands and parks and addressing violations like unregulated firewood collection. These efforts aim to build a resilient vegetation ecosystem and support sustainability goals. The Saudi Investment Recycling Co., a Public Investment Fund subsidiary, also took part in the event. Through its subsidiaries, the company showcased its role in supporting a green and circular economy in line with Vision 2030, focusing on waste diversion, emissions reduction and advanced recycling technologies. The group manages companies specializing in recycling, treating various types of waste and producing soil improvers, contributing to the Kingdom's broader sustainability efforts.
Asharq Al-Awsat
19-04-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Remarkable Ancient Inscriptions Found in King Abdulaziz Reserve
Exceptional archaeological discoveries dating from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD have been announced by the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority (KARRDA) in the Rawdat Al-Khafs area, located in the southern section of the reserve. The finds encompass early Arabic inscriptions alongside rock drawings of human and animal forms, highlighting the reserve's wealth of human, cultural, and historical heritage within the region, the Saudi Press Agency said on Saturday. Marking World Heritage Day, April 18, Saudi Arabia's announcement of the discoveries demonstrates its ongoing dedication to preserving its cultural treasures and actively promoting its rich heritage internationally and regionally.
Arab News
18-04-2025
- Science
- Arab News
153 Arabian oryx returns to Saudi wilderness
RIYADH: The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has reintroduced 153 Arabian oryx to their native habitat across the Tubaiq, Al-Khanfah, and Hurra Al-Hurra regions of Saudi Arabia. The initiative forms part of the authority's strategy to restore biodiversity and reestablish endangered species in their natural environments. The Arabian oryx, which belongs to the bovine family, is classified as an endangered species. The distinctive animal, recognizable by its powerful build, straight elongated horns, and striking white coat with black facial markings, grazes on vegetation throughout the reserve. It forages during early morning and evening hours to avoid the intense desert heat. The authority also highlighted a particularly encouraging development in its conservation efforts: Eight new oryx births have been documented within the reserve. The first birth, recorded in 2022 in the Tubaiq region, represented the first successful reproduction of the species in its natural habitat in 90 years. The endangered species resettlement programs reflect the authority's commitment to ongoing work supporting ecological balance, enriching biodiversity, and preserving species whose numbers have declined due to environmental factors and loss of vegetation cover.
Saudi Gazette
18-04-2025
- Science
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia releases 153 Arabian Oryx in first major breeding success in 90 years
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority (KSRNR) has released 153 Arabian Oryx across the Al-Tubaiq, Al-Khunfah, and Harrat Al-Harrah reserves as part of its continued efforts to enhance natural diversity and restore endangered species to their native habitats. The release marks a significant milestone in the Kingdom's conservation journey, with KSRNR confirming eight new Oryx births within the reserves. Notably, 2022 saw the first recorded birth of an Arabian Oryx in the Al-Tubaiq region in 90 years — a landmark breeding success within the reserve's protected environment. KSRNR noted that Arabian Oryx typically exhibit early morning and evening activity, avoiding high daytime temperatures to cope with harsh desert conditions. The reintroduction of these endangered animals is part of a broader conservation initiative to restore ecological balance and enrich biodiversity in Saudi Arabia. The program aims to revive species threatened by environmental degradation and habitat loss, reaffirming KSRNR's role in advancing sustainable environmental stewardship and species protection.
Arab News
08-04-2025
- General
- Arab News
Royal reserve limits grazing to protect vegetation
RIYADH: The Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority has prohibited grazing within the reserve, allowing it only for licensed local community members in designated areas, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The authority emphasized its ongoing efforts to enhance vegetation cover and regulate sustainable grazing to prevent land degradation, loss of plant diversity, and soil erosion. It confirmed that penalties will be imposed on those who violate these regulations to protect the reserve's biodiversity and vegetation, the SPA added. The authority encouraged those seeking information about grazing to consult its website and official channels. Recently, the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification launched the Agroforestry Action Plan Development Project to promote environmental sustainability, social development, and economic growth. The project focuses on assessing the current state of agroforestry, applying global best practices, and encouraging investment to ensure sustainable forest management. The center is also working to establish sustainable vegetation cover in forests through its initiative to plant 60 million trees — equivalent to rehabilitating 300,000 hectares by 2030. It aims to implement a national plan for sustainable forest management, protect and develop forests, and regulate grazing in forest areas.
