Saudi Arabia launched its National Greening Season on Wednesday, October 7, aiming to rehabilitate 60,000 additional hectares and expand vegetation cover across the Kingdom. The season seeks to combat desertification, promote native species suited to local conditions and encourage environmental volunteering across public, private and nonprofit sectors.
A Kingdom-wide restoration effort
The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification leads environmental and sustainability projects under the Saudi Green Initiative. It announced the launch on X: “As part of national efforts to restore lands and enhance environmental sustainability, the National Greening Season launches across the Kingdom under the slogan, 'A generation plants for a thriving nation.'”
The center said community awareness and institutional integration form part of efforts to develop vegetation cover and support environmental sustainability for present and future generations. The National Greening Program announced the launch date last week. It called the season an invitation to take part in planting and share the resulting impact.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said the season would support environmental volunteering, raise awareness of sound practices among different segments of society and bring national and community efforts together. The ministry said those efforts would sustain the environment and promote the prosperity of the homeland.
Regional launches and university planting
In Najran, Deputy Gov. Prince Turki bin Hudhulul bin Abdulaziz inaugurated the season. Mureeh Al-Shahrani, director general of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture's Najran branch, and Muhannad Al-Yami, director general of the National Center for Vegetation Cover in Najran, attended.
Jazan University launched initiatives focused on environmental sustainability, natural-resource protection and expanding vegetation cover. The university said its work supports the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative.
Abadi Mashlawi, acting director of the Environmental and Nature Research Center and head of the Biology Department, said the university had met 100 percent of its National Greening Program targets after planting 38,946 trees last year. He said the university had planted about 60,821 trees and flowers to date across 24 campus locations.
The university is expanding green spaces and introducing species suited to local conditions in student housing, around colleges and at the university mosque, Mashlawi said. This work aims to reduce temperatures, improve air quality and enhance the campus environment.
Targets for the coming years
This is the third National Greening Season since the initiative launched in 2024. Over the past two years, the program rehabilitated more than 51,000 hectares through rainwater harvesting and the sowing of 109 tonnes of seeds from 40 indigenous plant species.
This year's plan targets the rehabilitation of another 60,000 hectares. Teams will disperse more than 110 tonnes of seeds covering 70 native species, coordinating the work with cloud-seeding missions to enhance germination rates. The cumulative target is to rehabilitate 350,000 hectares by 2030.
That target stands. It’s a major undertaking. The season won't stop there: it’s also meant to encourage volunteers, and the program can't succeed without broad participation. The university's figures show 38,946 trees planted last year and about 60,821 trees and flowers across 24 campus locations to date. The plan calls for 350,000 hectares rehabilitated by 2030.