RIYADH: Over three days, the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority distributed more than 500,000 wild seeds to visitors to the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies, which opened on Sunday in Riyadh.
The authority’s CEO, Dr. Talal Al-Huraiqi, said that the seed distribution program aims to “introduce exhibition visitors to the varieties of wild seeds and growing methods, as well as raise awareness of the necessity of contributing to the development of vegetation.”
He added that the authority’s pavilion at the forum is intended to highlight its role in environmental preservation, natural sustainability, the fight against desertification and the process of restoring environmental balance through the development and expansion of vegetation cover.
The organizers of the pavilion showcased a nursery as well as the most current techniques utilized in the distribution of wild seeds via drones.
The authority also planned a tour of the King Khalid Royal Reserve for many of the participants attending the conference as part of its sponsorship of the forum.
The King Khalid Royal Reserve is an ecotourism attraction adjacent to the city of Riyadh, as well as a historical landmark with a varied landscape of valleys and mountains and abundant biodiversity, including fungi and indigenous tree species, such as Jujube and acacia.
The tour included visits to landmarks, caves and mountainous geological formations, which constitute a unique tourist destination due to the presence of white sand dunes and natural water pools. Guests were also treated to an introduction to Saudi heritage, including crafts and traditional cuisine.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, consultant at the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, told Arab News that the forum is part of the combined efforts of the center and of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture “to stress the importance of vegetation cover and its rehabilitation and development in order to restore degraded lands and mitigate the effects of climate change, desertification and dust storms through nature-based solutions.”
He noted that in recent decades, the Kingdom and neighboring countries have been witnessing rapid population expansion and major growth in the economic and agricultural sectors.
In many cases, however, related environmental and sustainability programs had not run in tandem with the growth spurts, leading to environmental deterioration, pollution, vegetation and land degradation, groundwater depletion, increased desertification, dust storms and severe drought.
“It is therefore critical for these countries to work together in accordance with a comprehensive environmental and socioeconomic framework that contributes to improving livelihoods and resource sustainability,” Al-Ghamdi said.
