Saudi Arabia Unveils Roadmap to Reach its 10 Bln Tree Target

Saudi Arabia Unveils Roadmap to Reach its 10 Bln Tree Target

Saudi Arabia announced on Monday a roadmap to achieve its ambitious greening target of growing 10 billion trees under the Saudi Green Initiative, a project spearheaded by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Higher Committee for the Saudi Green Initiative.

The announcement reflects the Kingdom's commitment to addressing the environmental challenges it faces and to improving the quality of life of its citizens through the long-term economic and social benefits that will also be unlocked by the planting efforts.

The roadmap was announced at the second annual MENA Climate Week that is being held in Saudi Arabia from October 8-12.

The roadmap strategically lays out a plan for Saudi Arabia’s habitat zones to achieve the maximum potential vegetation cover. Additionally, it considers zones such as cities, highways and greenbelts to ensure that trees are planted where they can deliver ecosystem services that benefit the health and wellbeing of Saudi residents, the majority of whom live in urban areas.

City centers are projected to benefit from increased tree canopy cover which will reduce temperatures by at least 2.2℃ and improve air quality.

Extreme heat and ambient air pollution are some of the most prevalent environmental hazards