Releasing 10,000 wildlife species in Saudi Arabia: An achievement to promote biodiversity
In a move reflecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to environmental protection and restoring its natural balance, the National Center for Wildlife Development announced an unprecedented achievement: the number of wildlife released into the wild and national parks has surpassed 10,000. This milestone is the culmination of tireless efforts within breeding and reintroduction programs for endangered species, representing a significant step forward in preserving the Kingdom’s natural heritage.
Exceptional efforts to restore ecological balance
The releases carried out by the center over the past years have included more than 80 species of nationally prioritized wildlife. The list includes iconic species historically associated with the Arabian Peninsula, such as the Arabian oryx , sand gazelles, Arabian gazelles, and mountain goats. It also includes birds important for ecological balance, such as houbara bustards, ostriches, and sandgrouse. These efforts aim for more than just increasing populations; they seek to restore degraded ecosystems and enhance their sustainability for future generations.
Strategic importance and expected impact
The center's CEO, Dr. Mohammed Ali Qurban, explained that these releases are not merely transfers of organisms, but rather a vital tool for restoring ecosystems and mitigating their imbalance. The importance of these organisms lies in their functional roles within food chains, where they contribute to plant pollination, seed dispersal, and vegetation regeneration, thus strengthening the natural predator-prey relationship. This ecological balance directly contributes to combating desertification and improving air and soil quality, ultimately benefiting public health and quality of life.
Moreover, this achievement represents a key pillar of the Saudi Green Initiative and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, as the flourishing biodiversity contributes to revitalizing ecotourism and creating new economic opportunities for local communities surrounding the reserves, thus enhancing the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for sustainable tourism.
Scientific methodology and future expansion
The center's programs are based on rigorous scientific and research foundations, beginning with the selection of genetically suitable strains in research centers to ensure genetic diversity and disease resistance, continuing with superior veterinary care, and culminating in rehabilitation for release and field monitoring using modern surveillance technologies. The breeding programs have witnessed a significant leap, increasing from 7 to 21 currently, with an ambitious plan to reach 50 breeding programs by 2030.
The release sites are distributed across more than 60 environmental locations in various regions of the Kingdom, including royal reserves, nature reserves, and national parks, ensuring comprehensive geographical coverage that restores wildlife to its former state throughout the country.
