Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Natural Reserve Development Authority (ITBA) has registered the reserve in the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), one of the main steps toward accession to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Green List (IUCN).
According to ITBA, the registration was done in cooperation with the National Center for Wildlife (NCW), which is the national authority responsible for inventorying and registering reserves in the WDPA. This step contributes to the Kingdom appearing in specialized global databases and highlights national efforts, undertaken with the support of the Saudi leadership, to protect the environment and ensure its sustainability.
The authority said that its registration in the global database of protected areas reflects its commitment to achieving the goals of the Saudi Green initiative launched by the Crown Prince in March 2021, specifically, raising the percentage of protected areas to 30% of the Kingdom’s area by 20230 from the current 16.2%.
WDPA, launched in 1981, represents the most comprehensive database of protected areas globally. It is a joint project between the UN Environment Program and IUCN, and is managed by the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center, in collaboration with governments, NGOs and academia. The database is updated monthly.
