Saudi Arabia launched its National Greening Season on Wednesday, October 7, with plans to rehabilitate an additional 60,000 hectares and expand vegetation cover across the Kingdom. The season aims to combat desertification, promote native species suited to the local climate, and encourage environmental volunteering across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
Restoring land
The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification leads environmental and sustainability projects under the Saudi Green Initiative. It announced the season’s launch on X, saying it was part of “national efforts to restore lands and enhance environmental sustainability” and would run under the slogan, “A generation plants for a thriving nation.”
The center added: “With community awareness and institutional integration, we continue to develop vegetation cover and ensure a sustainable environmental future for present and future generations.”
The National Greening Program announced last week that the season would begin on Oct. 7. In a post, it described planting as a way to renew people’s relationship with the earth and invited the public to take part: “Join us and share the impact with us; let us translate our concern for vegetation cover into steps and achievements.”
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said the program supports environmental volunteering, raises awareness of sound practices, and brings national and community efforts together. It said the season aims to sustain the environment and promote the prosperity of the homeland.
Targets and planting
This is the third season since the initiative launched in 2024. Over the past two years, teams rehabilitated more than 51,000 hectares through rainwater harvesting and sowed 109 tonnes of seeds from 40 indigenous plant species.
This year’s operations are expected to disperse more than 110 tonnes of seeds covering 70 native species. They’ll coordinate the work with cloud-seeding missions to enhance germination rates. The cumulative target is 350,000 rehabilitated hectares by 2030.
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.
University planting
Jazan University launched initiatives to promote environmental sustainability, protect natural resources, and expand 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.
Mashlawi said the university is expanding green spaces and introducing species suited to local conditions in student housing, around colleges, and at the university mosque. The work aims to reduce temperatures, improve air quality, and enhance the campus environment. It’s a campus-wide effort.