Arrest of 8 individuals for violating environmental regulations in King Abdulaziz and Imam Turki bin Abdullah protected areas

The Special Forces of the Environmental Security arrested a citizen in violation of the environmental regulations for uprooting trees without permission in the King Abdulaziz Royal Wildlife Reserve. The forces stated that legal measures were taken against the detainee, and the confiscated quantities were handed over to the relevant authorities. It was emphasized that the penalty for cutting trees from vegetative cover lands, uprooting, transferring, dredging, or trading them without a permit could amount up to 20,000 Saudi Riyals per tree. Additionally, the Special Forces of the Environmental Security arrested 7 citizens who violated environmental regulations for cutting fences and entering the reserve without permission in the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Wildlife Reserve. Legal actions were taken against them, and they were referred to the appropriate authorities. The forces confirmed that the penalty for cutting or damaging protected area fences could reach 100,000 Saudi Riyals, along with obligating the violator to mitigate the damage and pay compensation. The penalty for entering reserves without permission is a fine of 5,000 Saudi Riyals. The Environmental Security Special Forces urged reporting any cases of environmental or wildlife offenses by calling “911” in the regions of Makkah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, and “999” or “996” in the rest of the Kingdom.