Green Saudi Arabia initiative joins celebrations of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

The Green Saudi Initiative celebrates the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, an annual awareness-raising event organized by the United Nations on June 17; To highlight the continued negative impacts of water scarcity and land degradation on human life around the world, the initiative will emphasize the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to protecting the local environment through ongoing activities throughout the month. The month aims to raise awareness of the Kingdom’s environmental protection efforts and highlight the continued negative impacts.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recognizes the destructive nature of desertification and drought phenomena and their negative impacts on the agricultural sector and the population, as well as the fragility of ecosystems and natural habitats on which wildlife and local flora and fauna species depend. Despite having one of the lowest annual rainfalls in the world, the country is committed to an ambitious reforestation project aimed at combating desertification in the long term. These plans, one of the three main goals set by the Green Saudi Initiative, will see 10 billion trees planted across the Kingdom over the coming decades, helping to prevent soil erosion, reduce sandstorms and create an environment conducive to biodiversity prosperity.

The issue of water availability is an important factor in the success of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious reforestation efforts, and in order to protect its water wealth and provide water for irrigation, the Green Saudi Initiative works to address water scarcity through a number of fundamental initiatives that will help improve water scarcity, including the use of recycled water in agricultural applications and ensuring water security through increased use of treated dam water for irrigation.

The Kingdom’s efforts in the field of afforestation and water conservation are aimed at protecting it from the phenomena of desertification and drought that are accelerating due to rising temperatures and increased human activities around the world, while the Green Middle East Initiative continues to address the threat of water scarcity and desertification throughout the region. The initiative is responsible for implementing the Kingdom’s first cloud seeding program, which was launched in 2022 AD. In addition, in order to increase rainfall and provide new sources of water, the Green Middle East Initiative project is operated in a way that also supports the Green Saudi Initiative’s tree planting goals, as it aims to plant 50 billion trees throughout the Middle East in the next few decades. This figure is equivalent to 5% of the global afforestation target and will contribute to a 2.5% reduction in global carbon levels.

Between 70% and 90% of the Arabian Peninsula is threatened by desertification, and the damage caused by sandstorms in the Middle East is estimated to cost the region’s economy about US$13 billion each year. Globally, the livelihoods of more than one billion people are at risk from desertification.

A global temperature rise of just two degrees Celsius could cause up to 30% of the planet’s land area to “dry out” and turn it into arid regions. Estimates published by the World Bank show the global cost of land degradation. According to the United Nations, droughts could negatively affect more than three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050, and studies show that the frequency and duration of droughts are expected to increase significantly. This is up from about one-third since the year 2000 AD.

The Saudi Green Initiative aims to combat desertification and drought in the Kingdom and has agreed on a cooperation project with Saudi Aramco to plant 100 million trees across the Kingdom in the coming decades, and has long been committed to combating desertification in the Kingdom. During his tenure, in addition to launching a joint initiative between the Saudi Green Initiative and the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, 10 million trees will be planted in 50 national parks across Saudi Arabia, and another 60 million trees will be planted within the framework of the Saudi Green Initiative. Sustainable forest management and development projects launched in cooperation with the Center.

In partnership with the National Centre for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, the initiative aims to protect and restore vegetation cover in 26 pastures across the Kingdom. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2030 AD, and is a joint project between the Royal Commission and the Desertification Control Committee. Between now and 2030 AD, AlUla Governorate and Green Saudi Arabia will reclaim 100 hectares of land in the Sharaan Nature Reserve to test environmental restoration methods.

As part of the reforestation campaign, the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve will plant 600,000 trees by the end of 2023. The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Development Authority is leading the initiative, in conjunction with the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate to investigate threats to the Kingdom’s Dahlia Forests (Acacias australis) with the aim of preventing and managing mistletoe and insect-related mortality, with findings expected to be released this year.

As for the Riyadh Sustainable Development Strategy – it is an initiative of the Green Saudi Initiative launched by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, which aims to recycle and utilize 100% of the city’s wastewater by 2030 AD, while the Green Saudi Initiative and the General Irrigation Company will build nine pumping stations with the goal of increasing the use of renewable water resources in the Kingdom’s agricultural sector by 2025.

The Mosque Planting Program, launched by the Green Saudi Initiative in partnership with the General Authority for Endowments and Murooj, is working to plant 30,000 trees near 100 mosques by the end of 2023, which will be irrigated with treated grey water, and in collaboration with the General Irrigation Company, to increase the use of dam water for agricultural purposes, with 80 million cubic meters of treated dam water to be used for agricultural purposes by 2030, which will help increase water reuse by 8%.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has pledged to generate 50% of its total electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and the Saudi Green Initiative guides a series of ambitious plans and projects to reduce emissions, including investments in new energy, improving energy efficiency, and developing programs to capture and store carbon, in addition to… a commitment to plant 10 billion trees and restore 40 million hectares of land across the Kingdom; with the goal of restoring green natural spaces. These efforts, which include all sectors of society, will help restore important environmental functions, improve air quality, reduce sandstorms, and more.

Within the framework of the Green Saudi Initiative, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has pledged to protect 30% of its terrestrial and marine areas and to collaborate with leading international organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature to preserve and restore the Kingdom’s natural ecosystems and picturesque natural spaces.