RIYADH: The National Center for the Development of Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification signed a memorandum of understanding with the Strategic Office for the Development of Al-Baha region on Sunday.
It was signed under the auspices of center’s CEO Dr. Khalid Al-Abdulqader and the office’s CEO Abdulaziz Al-Naeem, aiming to enhance mutual understanding between the two organizations in the field of vegetation development and investment.
The MoU also focuses on creating an attractive investment environment that contributes to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, which launched a comprehensive effort to reverse environmental degradation and climate change through regenerative development, conservation, and sustainable practices.
The areas of cooperation and understanding stipulated in the MoU include various topics regarding Al-Baha region such as vegetation development projects, as well as coordination and communication about the SGI.
Other topics include exchanging knowledge and experience, and organizing tourist programs and events in the region.
The MoU is part of a series of contracts and agreements concluded by the NCVC, and falls within the framework of its efforts to combat desertification, reduce sand encroachment, and preserve natural resources to achieve an improvement in the quality of life and create sustainable economic development.
These efforts also aim to enhance cooperation and integration with government, private and non-profit institutions, and to unify and organize national efforts in implementing vegetation rehabilitation initiatives.
The NCVC is focused on developing, protecting and controlling vegetation cover sites, rehabilitating degraded ones, detecting encroachments on them, combating logging, supervising pasture management, grazing governance, and protecting and investing in forests and national parks.
It also supports, through its various projects, efforts to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions globally.
Under the slogan “sustainable parks,” the NCVC launched an awareness campaign on July 28 in cooperation with Aseer Development Authority and over 12 government bodies to enhance societal awareness on the necessity of protecting the vegetation cover in Saudi Arabia.