The National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification (NCVC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), concluded a workshop titled “Monitoring Land Productivity Dynamics and Trends in Soil Organic Carbon Stocks in Hyper-Arid Environments.” The event was attended by numerous local and international experts and specialists, according to an NCVC news release.
In his speech, Deputy Minister for Environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Dr. Osama Faqeeha emphasized that land degradation is a global challenge, with land serving as a fundamental pillar for food security and a safe habitat for human life. He highlighted its role in mitigating climate change effects by storing three times the amount of carbon found in the atmosphere and stressed the need to build knowledge bases and leverage science and innovation to address
this major challenge.
Dr. Faqeeha also mentioned that during Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16), significant decisions and ambitious outcomes will be sought to enhance international efforts in reducing land degradation and its resulting environmental and economic losses.
In his opening remarks, CEO of the NCVC Dr. Khaled Al-Abdulkader pointed out the necessity of improving existing methodologies for monitoring land degradation in hyper-arid environments. He emphasized that the extreme climatic conditions in these environments render globally used key indicators ineffective in measuring land degradation.
The workshop, which spanned three days, covered a range of topics, including the global approach to land degradation monitoring, the significance of specific indicators in hyper-arid environments, mechanisms for achieving Sustainable Development Goals, and the main challenges faced in these environments. Participants als
o explored alternative methodologies and developed pathways for specialized solutions aimed at creating a project to monitor these environments using appropriate methodologies. The contributions of the participating guests significantly enriched the workshop with valuable insights.
Discussions included the use of “Land Degradation Neutrality” (LDN) as a framework to assist in achieving national and regional goals, monitoring land degradation (LPD) and soil organic carbon, and developing a framework for addressing monitoring challenges in hyper-arid environments through subgroup discussions. Additionally, the importance of establishing a global monitoring network for hyper-arid ecosystems was emphasized.
The workshop is part of a series of ongoing workshops organized by the NCVC in collaboration with various local, regional, and international entities and organizations to promote joint cooperation and exchange expertise to achieve sustainable development and enhance the quality of life in line with the objec
tives of the Saudi Green Initiative.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with the United Nations to host the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh from December 2 to 13, 2024. This will be the first conference of its kind in the Middle East and the largest multilateral event ever hosted by the Kingdom, with 196 countries participating. The conference will address ways to enhance international cooperation at all levels to preserve natural resources, accelerate efforts to restore land, and increase resilience to drought. The event will last for two weeks and include associated events such as a Gender Caucus and a Business for Land Forum.
On the sidelines of the conference, the NCVC, in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, will organize the second edition of the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies (Greening Arabia Forum and Exhibition) in Riyadh, as part of their role in developing, protecting, and sustaining
vegetation cover in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
The NCVC is actively engaged in developing and protecting vegetation cover sites, monitoring, and rehabilitating degraded environments across the Kingdom, detecting encroachments, combating illegal logging, and supervising rangelands, forests, and national parks. These efforts contribute to sustainable development and help achieve the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative.
Source: Saudi Press Agency