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Interview: Promoting Investments in Saudi Arabia’s Natural Reserves

The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. (Photo: SPA)
The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. (Photo: SPA)
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Interview: Promoting Investments in Saudi Arabia’s Natural Reserves

The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. (Photo: SPA)
The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. (Photo: SPA)

Eng. Muhammad Alshaalan, CEO of the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority, revealed efforts to engage the private sector in the protected areas, whether through hotels, rural lodges or sustainable hunting reserves.

He disclosed an agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and the Saudi Tourism Authority to attract investments in the sector.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Alshaalan said that the Authority was seeking to create jobs for the local community and increase the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises, in addition to activating eco-tourism in the Kingdom.

Asked about the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve, he said: “It is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. It is located in the northeastern part of the country on an area of 91,000 square kilometers. It has three main goals, mainly the preservation, development and diversification of wildlife.”

He added that around 80,000 to 100,000 people live in villages and deserts within the reserve.

“We seek to create jobs and training for the local community and increase the contribution of small and medium businesses,” he said.

The Authority aims to promote ecotourism in general, Alshaalan emphasized, noting that the reserve was home to beautiful sites, including the historic King Abdulaziz Palace in Linah, the ancient market, and Darb Zubaydah.

“These places attract local and foreign visitors, who are looking to explore historical and environmental areas of this kind,” he stated.

He noted that the Authority has established a center for houbara breeding, with the support and guidance of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prince Turki bin Muhammad bin Fahd.

He explained that the main objective was to conduct studies and research on this particular bird, especially the Asian Houbara, and on its reproduction and release in its natural habitats.

According to Alshaalan, the center aspires to create jobs for the local community and is mainly managed by the residents, with the aim to promote the development of the local economy, the use of surplus production for sustainable hunting, the activation of regulated hunting reserves, as well as attracting investors and those interested in the sector.

“The Prince Saud Al-Faisal Wildlife Center was established in the 1980s, followed by Al-Taysiyah Reserve… With the Saudi vision, environmental events have greatly accelerated...” he remarked.

The CEO of the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Natural Reserve Development Authority noted that the Houbara bird was threatened with extinction, as a result of the destruction of natural habitats and other factors.

He explained: “In the first years, we will start in the center with a capacity of up to 1,000 productive birds; we mainly seek to train and prepare, so that we can take full advantage of this production, and then basically simulate nature, whether in the production process or feed.”

Alshaalan underlined the importance of preserving the genetic sequence and the environmental and natural characteristics of the bird.

Asked about plans to engage the private sector in the investments of the reserve, he said: “We have today a set of paths, whether in hotels, rural lodges, sustainable hunting reserves, or the Zubaydah trail activities and the activation of tourist areas. We have signed an agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and the Saudi Tourism Authority, aimed at attracting investors in the protected areas in general.”

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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference on Emerging Market Economies (EME) to enhance cooperation between the two institutions.

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki, SPA reported.

The agreement aims to strengthen coordination in economic and financial policy areas, including surveillance and lending activities, data and analytical exchange, capacity building, and the provision of technical assistance, in support of regional financial and economic stability.

Both sides affirmed that the MoU represents an important step toward deepening their strategic partnership and strengthening the regional financial safety net, serving member countries and enhancing their ability to address economic challenges.

Business

Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The Federation of Saudi Chambers announced the formation of the first joint Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council for its inaugural term (1447–1451 AH) and the election of Salman bin Hassan Al-Oqayel as its chairman.

Al-Oqayel said the council’s formation marks a pivotal milestone in economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reflecting a practical approach to enabling the business sectors in both countries to capitalize on promising investment opportunities and strengthen bilateral trade and investment partnerships, SPA reported.

He noted that trade between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reached approximately SAR9.5 billion by the end of November 2025, including SAR8 billion in Saudi exports and SAR1.5 billion in Kuwaiti imports.

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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Harvard University economics professor Pol Antràs said Saudi Arabia represents an exceptional model in the shifting global trade landscape, differing fundamentally from traditional emerging-market frameworks. He also stressed that globalization has not ended but has instead re-formed into what he describes as fragmented integration.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, Antràs said Saudi Arabia’s Vision-driven structural reforms position the Kingdom to benefit from the ongoing phase of fragmented integration, adding that the country’s strategic focus on logistics transformation and artificial intelligence constitutes a key engine for sustainable growth that extends beyond the volatility of global crises.

Antràs, the Robert G. Ory Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is one of the leading contemporary theorists of international trade. His research, which reshaped understanding of global value chains, focuses on how firms organize cross-border production and how regulation and technological change influence global trade flows and corporate decision-making.

He said conventional classifications of economies often obscure important structural differences, noting that the term emerging markets groups together countries with widely divergent industrial bases. Economies that depend heavily on manufacturing exports rely critically on market access and trade integration and therefore face stronger competitive pressures from Chinese exports that are increasingly shifting toward alternative markets.

Saudi Arabia, by contrast, exports extensively while facing limited direct competition from China in its primary export commodity, a situation that creates a strategic opportunity. The current environment allows the Kingdom to obtain imports from China at lower cost and access a broader range of goods that previously flowed largely toward the United States market.

Addressing how emerging economies should respond to dumping pressures and rising competition, Antràs said countries should minimize protectionist tendencies and instead position themselves as committed participants in the multilateral trading system, allowing foreign producers to access domestic markets while encouraging domestic firms to expand internationally.

He noted that although Chinese dumping presents concerns for countries with manufacturing sectors that compete directly with Chinese production, the risk is lower for Saudi Arabia because it does not maintain a large manufacturing base that overlaps directly with Chinese exports. Lower-cost imports could benefit Saudi consumers, while targeted policy tools such as credit programs, subsidies, and support for firms seeking to redesign and upgrade business models represent more effective responses than broad protectionist measures.

Globalization has not ended

Antràs said globalization continues but through more complex structures, with trade agreements increasingly negotiated through diverse arrangements rather than relying primarily on multilateral negotiations. Trade deals will continue to be concluded, but they are likely to become more complex, with uncertainty remaining a defining feature of the global trading environment.

Interest rates and artificial intelligence

According to Antràs, high global interest rates, combined with the additional risk premiums faced by emerging markets, are constraining investment, particularly in sectors that require export financing, capital expenditure, and continuous quality upgrading.

However, he noted that elevated interest rates partly reflect expectations of stronger long-term growth driven by artificial intelligence and broader technological transformation.

He also said if those growth expectations materialize, productivity gains could enable small and medium-sized enterprises to forecast demand more accurately and identify previously untapped markets, partially offsetting the negative effects of higher borrowing costs.

Employment concerns and the role of government

The Harvard professor warned that labor markets face a dual challenge stemming from intensified Chinese export competition and accelerating job automation driven by artificial intelligence, developments that could lead to significant disruptions, particularly among younger workers. He said governments must adopt proactive strategies requiring substantial fiscal resources to mitigate near-term labor-market shocks.

According to Antràs, productivity growth remains the central condition for success: if new technologies deliver the anticipated productivity gains, governments will gain the fiscal space needed to compensate affected groups and retrain the workforce, achieving a balance between addressing short-term disruptions and investing in long-term strategic gains.