King Salman Royal Natural Reserve Embarks on Planting Half a Million Trees in 2022

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
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King Salman Royal Natural Reserve Embarks on Planting Half a Million Trees in 2022

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)

The King Salman Royal Natural Reserve (KSRNR) started planting 500,000 tree seedlings in the reserve in March. The initiative was kicked off in cooperation with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The operation began in mid-March with the planting of 400,000 seedlings in Jubbah and 100,000 in Al-Tubayq.

It will be implemented in two stages until the end of November 2022, while irrigation and care services will continue until 2024.

The afforestation project is part of an agreement between KSRNR and the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification. It aims to increase the green area, reduce desertification, restore biodiversity in natural environments, and improve the quality of life, to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative.

KSRNR also signed a contract to plant 100,000 seedlings in the Al-Tubayq region this year, including care work and irrigation services.

The tree planting efforts coincide with Environment Week, which is held annually by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

KSRNR is working on several initiatives in the reserve in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification, the universities in Tabuk, Hail, and Al-Jawf, and several voluntary bodies and charities, such as the Green Tabuk Association, the Tabarjal team from the Sidr Al-Jouf Volunteer Association, among others. It aims to achieve the necessary environmental awareness for the local communities.



Farewell Eagles… Hobbit Sculptures Removed from Wellington Airport

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Farewell Eagles… Hobbit Sculptures Removed from Wellington Airport

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

For more than a decade, a pair of Hobbit-inspired eagle sculptures have cast a watchful eye over visitors at New Zealand's Wellington Airport.

But the giant birds will be unfastened from the ceiling on Friday to make way for a new mystery exhibit, airport authorities said.

According to BBC, the eagles appear as messengers in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which were adapted to film by New Zealand's Sir Peter Jackson.

The spectacular New Zealand landscapes featured in Jackson's films are a consistent draw for tourists, who are greeted at the airport by the eagle sculptures.

“It's not unusual to see airborne departures from Wellington Airport, but in this case, it will be emotional for us, “Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said in a statement.

The giant eagles will be placed in storage and there have not been long-term plans for them.

Each eagle weighs 1.2 tons with a wingspan of 15 meters. Riding on the back of one of the birds is a sculpture of the wizard, Gandalf.

Made of polystyrene and with an internal steel skeleton, each eagle has hundreds of feathers, the longest one measuring 2.4 meters.

While the iconic eagles will soon be gone, not all is lost for fans of the franchise: Smaug the Magnificent, the dragon in The Hobbit, will continue to be displayed at the check-in area.

The eagles were unveiled in 2013, around the time of the release of The Hobbit trilogy. The giant sculptures were produced by Wētā Workshop, the New Zealand-based company that made costumes and props for The Lord of the Rings franchise.

“We're working with Wētā Workshop on some exciting plans for a unique, locally themed replacement to take their place,” Clarke said. “We'll unveil what's next later this year so keep watching the skies.”