New Initiative Will Scatter Native Seeds Across Saudi Arabia

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has implemented a national initiative to rehabilitate natural rangelands by scattering seeds across 33 sites in Saudi Arabia to improve soil quality, develop vegetation cover, and enhance environmental sustainability. The work includes native species such as ghada and Najdi acacia.

The initiative spans multiple regions, including Al Jouf, Northern Borders, Hail, Qassim, Madinah, Makkah, Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Asir. Rehabilitation is being carried out by sowing local plant species using modern machinery and equipment. The centre stated that direct broadcast seeding of wild and pastoral plants suited to each ecosystem is an effective technique to rehabilitate degraded lands and improve their productivity.

The programme aligns with the Saudi Green Initiative target to plant 10 billion trees and contributes to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by combating desertification and restoring degraded lands. It also supports efforts to reduce the impact of climate change by increasing vegetation cover, improves rangeland productivity, and provides more sustainable food sources for ecosystems. In addition, the initiative supports the National Rangeland Strategy, which targets the rehabilitation of more than 1,300 sites known locally as fayda and rawda.