RIYADH, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it has successfully restored one million hectares of degraded land and planted over 159 million trees, marking a major milestone for the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) launched in 2021.
The Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Alfadley said that the rehabilitated land area grew from just 18,000 hectares initially to 250,000 hectares by 2024, reaching the one-million-hectare mark in early 2026, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Alfadley added that current progress sets the stage for 2.5 million hectares by 2030, supported by strategic projects such as dam water utilization and rainfall harvesting.
The SGI aims to plant 10 billion trees, equivalent to rehabilitating 40 million hectares across the country.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad commended the achievement, saying, "This achievement proves that land restoration is possible even in the most challenging environments."
Fouad also praised Saudi Arabia's role in strengthening international cooperation through initiatives such as the Middle East Green Initiative and its hosting of the COP16 of the UNCCD.
