Inauguration of the afforestation office in Najran to support the Saudi Green Initiative

In a significant step aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability and improving quality of life, the Mayor of Najran, Engineer Saleh bin Gharmallah Al-Ghamdi, inaugurated the municipality's afforestation office on Tuesday. This inauguration comes as part of national efforts to increase green spaces and improve the urban landscape in Saudi cities. The event was attended by the Assistant Deputy Minister for Projects at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Engineer Majid bin Safar Al-Ghamdi.

National context: Afforestation as a priority in Vision 2030

This initiative cannot be viewed in isolation from the strategic direction of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With the launch of Vision 2030, the Kingdom has placed improving quality of life and environmental sustainability at the forefront of its priorities. The “Green Saudi Arabia” initiative, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is a cornerstone of these efforts, aiming to plant 10 billion trees across the Kingdom in the coming decades. Establishing specialized afforestation offices in various regions, such as Najran, represents the practical and institutional application of this ambitious vision, ensuring that national goals are translated into tangible realities at the local level.

The importance of the afforestation office for the Najran region

The establishment of the "Afforestation Office" represents a qualitative leap in the management and development of vegetation cover in Najran. Engineer Al-Ghamdi emphasized that this office embodies the Ministry's direction towards developing the municipal work system through specialized units. Its importance lies in several key aspects:

• Strategic planning: The office will work on developing well-thought-out afforestation plans that take into account the nature of the climatic area and water sources, and selecting local tree species that are suitable for the desert environment to ensure their sustainability.
• Combating desertification: Increasing green spaces directly contributes to combating desertification and stabilizing the soil, which reduces dust storms and improves air quality.
• Improving the urban landscape: The office aims to improve the overall appearance of cities and governorates, transforming them into more beautiful and healthy environments, thereby enhancing the well-being of residents and attracting visitors.
• Improving performance efficiency: By focusing efforts in a specialized unit, the efficiency of implementing, monitoring and maintaining afforestation projects is continuously improved.

Tangible achievements and promising future plans

Prior to the official launch, efforts were already underway, with the spokesperson for the Najran Municipality, Abdullah Al-Fadil, revealing significant achievements. Work teams had successfully planted 9,781 diverse trees across 33 different locations, encompassing more than 20 species suitable for the local environment. Efforts are currently ongoing to plant 7,272 trees in 11 new locations.

The efforts were not limited to the city of Najran alone, but extended to the municipalities under the Secretariat in the governorates, which contributed to planting 9,321 trees in 9 locations. These figures reflect the scale of the work and the serious commitment to achieving the afforestation targets, and confirm that the new afforestation office will build on a strong foundation to continue the environmental development journey in the region.