Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — Uruq Bani Ma’arid, certainly one of Saudi Arabia’s most ecologically vital protected areas and a UNESCO World Heritage Website, has been included within the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Inexperienced Checklist of Protected and Conserved Areas. This recognition confirms the location’s world ecological significance and highlights the Kingdom’s increasing management in conserving arid-land habitats.
Saudi Arabia’s inclusion of Uruq Bani Ma’arid follows earlier Inexperienced Checklist achievements, notably for the Ibex Protected Space and the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve. These milestones mirror sustained progress towards excellence in protected-area administration.
Uruq Bani Ma’arid spans 12,765 sq. kilometers on the western fringe of the Empty Quarter—the world’s largest steady sand desert—harboring the best biodiversity within the Empty Quarter. In 2023, the panorama was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Website for its excellent pure worth.
The IUCN Inexperienced Checklist units the worldwide benchmark for efficient and equitable protected-area administration.
To qualify, websites should display clear governance, measurable conservation outcomes, and significant engagement with native stakeholders. Uruq Bani Ma’arid met these standards by means of its built-in planning, resilient ecological monitoring, and habitat restoration applications. Underneath the stewardship of the Nationwide Middle for Wildlife, Uruq Bani Ma’arid has efficiently carried out a breeding and reintroduction program for the endangered Arabian oryx.
Commenting on the event, CEO of the Nationwide Middle for Wildlife Dr. Mohammad Qurban mentioned that Uruq Bani Ma’arid exemplifies what science-guided conservation can obtain in excessive landscapes. “Its inclusion on the IUCN Inexperienced Checklist displays our dedication to defending biodiversity and delivering actual conservation influence at each nationwide and world scales.”
He added that this milestone helps Saudi Arabia’s contribution to the worldwide 30×30 biodiversity goal, defending 30 p.c of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030. It additionally aligns with the Saudi Inexperienced Initiative, which integrates conservation as a core pillar of Imaginative and prescient 2030.