The National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification plays a vital role in preserving vegetation cover, combating desertification, and bolstering the contributions of royal reserves and environmental connections in cultivating wild plant seedlings and seeds. Located in Al-Jouf, the centre annually produces an impressive 15 million seedlings to support these critical objectives.
The Director General of the Center’s General Department of Rangelands, Dr. Mishaal Al-Harbi, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that this centre is one of the five institutions established in accordance with the National Strategy for the Environment. Its primary mandate is the protection of vegetation within pastures, national parks, and forests, with a specific focus on pasture research and development. Furthermore, the centre conducts applied research in this domain and supplies seeds and seedlings of wild and pastoral plants to the seven royal reserves through its three stations.
Dr. Al-Harbi elaborated on the centre’s contributions, highlighting that it has provided substantial support to the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve by furnishing one million seedlings. Additionally, it supplied 4.5 million seedlings to other Royal Reserves last year, along with 10 tons of seeds. These efforts are central to the centre’s core mission of enhancing vegetation cover, mitigating overgrazing, and safeguarding eight million hectares of land nationally. All of these endeavours align with the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative, which seeks to expand the green area, bolster vegetation cover, disperse seeds, and combat desertification.
In the Al-Jouf region, the centre specializes in cultivating several varieties of wild plants, including acacia, horseradish, Traganum, and Sidr. These plants are well-suited to the region’s environmental conditions and are characterized as perennial species.
Source: Saudi Press Agency