King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Receives IUCN Administrative Classification Accreditation

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
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King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Receives IUCN Administrative Classification Accreditation

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve has been accredited by the International Union for Conservation of Nature for meeting international administrative classification standards.

The accreditation is a significant endorsement, qualifying the reserve to be included among efficiently managed and effective natural reserves.

Through its strategies, the authority seeks to preserve the valuables of the reserve and reinstate its environmental balance. It also works on protecting the environment and nature in accordance with the best international practices to ensure a sustainable environment for today and tomorrow’s generations as pledged by the Saudi Vision 2030, and the Saudi Green Initiative.

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is the largest wildlife reserve in the Middle East and Asia, and is characterized with its geographic and historic diversity.

Covering over 130,000 sq. km, the reserve is the fourth-largest protected area in the world and the largest in the Middle East. It spans four administrative regions: Al-Jawf, Hail, Tabuk, and the Northern Borders, and includes UNESCO-listed historical sites like Jubbah, with origins dating back over 8,000 years BC.



Australian Hiker Found Alive after Surviving for Two Weeks on Berries and Muesli Bars

A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Australian Hiker Found Alive after Surviving for Two Weeks on Berries and Muesli Bars

A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

An Australian student missing for two weeks near the country's tallest mountain was found on Wednesday, after surviving by foraging for berries, drinking water from a creek and finding two muesli bars left behind by other hikers, police said.

Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old university student from Melbourne, went missing from his group of friends on December 26 in the Kosciuszko National Park.

Nazari was found on Wednesday afternoon by a group of hikers who alerted the authorities, police in the state of New South Wales said.

“This is the fourteenth day we've been looking for him and for him to come out and be in such good spirits and in such great condition, it’s incredible," NSW Police Inspector Josh Broadfoot said.

The student was in "really good spirits" with no significant injuries, he added.

More than 300 people had searched for Nazari across rugged bushland, police said. The national park is home to the 2,228 meter (7,310 foot) Mount Kosciuszko.