150,000 trees planted in Taif to combat desertification

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has finished planting 150,000 trees in Saiysad National Park, Taif, as part of a national program to plant 10 billion trees, one of the Saudi Green Initiative’s targets.

The trees were jujube, acacia, seyal, acacia asak, and Vachellia flava. Also planted were plants such as dodonaea and henna.

The project covered eight different locations within the 28 million square meter park, one of the largest land parks in the Makkah region and one of the oldest in the Kingdom.

The park is about 15 km northeast of the center of Taif. Its name is associated with the ancient Saiysad dam. It is a distinctive nature reserve surrounded by mountains with dense trees and vast green areas.

With the aim of developing the park, and promoting investment and services to the public, the national center offered 17 temporary investment opportunities in areas of the park, and initiated several community and voluntary initiatives for afforestation and cleaning. The park is also open to campers and caravans.

The center seeks to develop, protect, control and rehabilitate sites with degraded vegetation, manages and invests in pasture land, forests and national parks, and works to detect encroachments on vegetation, combat illegal logging around the Kingdom, and conserve natural resources and biodiversity.

Saudi Arabia has been one of the biggest supporters of green living. It is developing many projects all around the country, including environmental projects, to improve the quality of living and to participate in reducing the effects of climate change worldwide.