Saudi Environment Ministry launches 6-month afforestation campaign

MEWA Vice Mansour Al-Mushaiti (center) speaks during the inauguration ceremony of “Let’s Make It Green” on Thursday in Saad National Park, MEWA Deputy Minister of Environment Osama Fakih (far right), and Badr Al-Lami, Deputy Minister of Transport and Logistics (second from right), appear and Khaled Al-Abdul Qader, CEO of the NCVC (left). (SPA)

Osama Fakih, Deputy of MEWA for the Environment, waters a sapling that has just been planted, and Mansour Al-Mushaiti Vice of MEWA (second from left), Abdullah Al-Qarni, director of the “Make It Green” campaign (left), and Khaled Al-Abdul Qader, CEO of the NCVC (right), on Thursday in Saad National Park. (SPA)

From left: Coulibaly Drissa, ambassador of Cote d’ivoire, Rose Oginga, Kenyan ambassador’s wife, Amal Al-Daej, international relations and strategic partnerships advisor of the NCVC, Peter Ogego Ambassador of Kenya, and Noha Maarouf, Senior external relations associate at UNHCR, during the inauguration ceremony of “Let’s Make It Green” on Thursday in Saad National Park. (Supplied/NCVC)

• The National Center for the Development of Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification organized the event
• The six-month campaign aims to develop vegetation sites, rehabilitate degraded land and restore plant diversity

RIYADH: The third edition of the Saudi “Let’s Make It Green” afforestation campaign was launched on Thursday 100 km east of Riyadh in Saad National Park.
The launch ceremony was led by Mansour Al-Mushaiti, deputy minister of environment, water and agriculture.
The National Center for the Development of Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification organized the event, which included introductory pavilions, activities for children and a showcase of afforestation methods.
The six-month campaign aims to develop vegetation sites, rehabilitate degraded land and restore plant diversity by motivating local communities to contribute to afforestation in vegetation sites and national parks.
CEO of the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification Dr. Khalid Al-Abdulqader called on the public and private sectors to take part in volunteer opportunities as part of the campaign.
He highlighted the existence of voluntary fields in the sector, including seed dispersal, seedling production in national parks and campaigns to clean vegetation sites.
The ambassadors of Kenya, Ivory Coast and Singapore, and representatives from the UK, Australia, Uruguay, Mexico, Japan and China Embassies in Saudi Arabia attended the inauguration ceremony, in addition to officials from International Fund for Agricultural Development, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Food and Agriculture Organization and UN Development Programme. Representatives from international companies, including FLORA and Mitsui, were also present.
Dr. Amal Al-Daej, international relations and strategic partnership adviser at NCVC, told Arab News that the campaign is part of the center’s contribution to achieving the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative to plant 10 billion trees around the Kingdom. She added that the campaign also enhances the Kingdom’s contribution to developing vegetation cover and improving quality of life.
Previous “Let’s Make It Green” campaigns led to the planting of about 20 million trees in more than 500 sites across the Kingdom, with the participation of several government and private agencies, the non-profit sector and about 70,000 volunteers.