CEO of “Plant Cover” emphasizes the critical need to intensify environmental efforts and enhance the role of national parks
Dr. Khaled bin Abdullah bin Abdulqader, the CEO of the National Center for Vegetation Development and Desertification Control, conducted an inspection tour yesterday of environmental and developmental projects in the Eastern Region overseen by the “Vegetation Cover”. He emphasized the importance of intensifying environmental efforts and enhancing the role of national parks in preserving vegetation cover in line with Vision 2030 towards a sustainable and renewable environment. He stressed the need to monitor the implementation of environmental initiatives to ensure their targets are met in vegetation development and desertification control, as well as keeping up with global efforts in light of Saudi Arabia’s presidency of COP16 conference.
The center works on developing several targeted sites, protecting and monitoring them, rehabilitating deteriorated areas around the kingdom, detecting encroachments, and combating desertification. This includes supervising grazing lands, forests, national parks, and their investment to promote sustainable development and contribute to achieving the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative.
During his visit, the CEO of the center visited Al-Ahsa National Park to review the progress of tree planting, restoration, and rehabilitation projects in the park. He inspected a mechanical palm frond sand barrier experiment, an innovative and environmentally friendly method to stabilize sand dunes. He also inspected a sand creeping monitoring station, established to measure the level and density of sand creep and analyze its environmental impacts as part of efforts to combat desertification.
The inspection visit also included monitoring the progress of the mangrove tree cultivation initiative in Al-Qatif province, which is set to resume during the next planting season to achieve the goals of planting more mangrove trees due to their unique environmental contributions.
