Saudi Arabia Aims High with Conservation Efforts
At the first Hima protected areas forum in Riyadh, Mohammed Qurban, the CEO of the National Center for Wildlife, revealed that Saudi Arabia has set aside 18.10 percent of its land and 6.48 percent of its marine habitats as protected areas.
The country is on a mission to achieve its ambitious goal of protecting 30 percent of its terrestrial and marine areas by 2030, as part of the Saudi Green Initiative launched in 2021.
During a panel discussion at the forum titled “Achieving the 30 percent by 2030 Target for Terrestrial and Marine Protected Areas: Aligning International and National Efforts,” experts emphasized the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors for effective conservation.
Osama Faqeeha, deputy minister for environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability.
John Grainger, a consultant at International Conservation Services, commended Saudi Arabia for its proactive approach to tackling environmental challenges, describing the country as a “can-do society.”
He emphasized the crucial role of committed conservationists in managing people, rather than just nature, to achieve the Kingdom’s conservation goals.
Neville Ash, the director of the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, applauded Saudi Arabia’s progress in conservation, noting that it aligned with global efforts towards sustainability.
He highlighted the effective use of reporting mechanisms like Protected Planet to track conservation progress and urged continued collaboration between various organizations to ensure up-to-date data for global reports.
Protected Planet serves as a vital resource for businesses, conservationists, and aid planners, providing a foundation for monitoring progress towards global environmental goals like the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.