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Alfadley: Saudi Arabia is Steadily Moving towards Planting 600 Million Trees by 2030

A planted field in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Reuters)
A planted field in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Reuters)
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Alfadley: Saudi Arabia is Steadily Moving towards Planting 600 Million Trees by 2030

A planted field in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Reuters)
A planted field in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Reuters)

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Alfadley, took part in the third edition of the Saudi Green Initiative Forum, held concurrently with COP28 in Dubai.
Eng. Alfadley said that Saudi Arabia is steadily moving towards achieving the targets of the Saudi Green Initiative in planting around 600 million trees by 2030, and 10 billion trees across the Kingdom during the coming decades.

According to SPA, he clarified that the third edition of the Saudi Green Initiative Forum is to continue the achievements of past projects and initiatives initiated since the first edition in Riyadh.

The Saudi Green Initiative has 80 initiatives, and since its adoption, 43 of these initiatives have been launched to meet its primary objectives. Notably, 43.9 million trees have been planted across the Kingdom, and 940,000 hectares of degraded lands have been rehabilitated. Furthermore, a 300% increase in production capacity for reducing carbon emissions as well as the production capacity of renewable energy projects has exceeded 8 gigawatts.

He concluded that the Kingdom's strategy for afforestation is grounded in the principle of sustainability. The strategy focuses on utilizing renewable water sources. Additionally, the Kingdom aims to use cutting-edge technologies to enhance these initiatives.

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Dozens of Zoo Tigers Die after Contracting Bird Flu in Vietnam

Tigers are kept in cages at Dong Xoai zoo in Bien Hoa city, Vietnam on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (Phuoc Tuan/VNExpress via AP)
Tigers are kept in cages at Dong Xoai zoo in Bien Hoa city, Vietnam on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (Phuoc Tuan/VNExpress via AP)
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Dozens of Zoo Tigers Die after Contracting Bird Flu in Vietnam

Tigers are kept in cages at Dong Xoai zoo in Bien Hoa city, Vietnam on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (Phuoc Tuan/VNExpress via AP)
Tigers are kept in cages at Dong Xoai zoo in Bien Hoa city, Vietnam on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (Phuoc Tuan/VNExpress via AP)

More than a dozen tigers were incinerated after the animals contracted bird flu at a zoo in southern Vietnam, officials said.
State media VNExpress cited a caretaker at Vuon Xoai zoo in Bien Hoa city saying the animals were fed with raw chicken bought from nearby farms, The Associated Press reported. The panther and 20 tigers, including several cubs, weighed between 10 and 120 kilograms when they died. The bodies were incinerated and buried on the premises.
“The tigers died so fast. They looked weak, refused to eat and died after two days of falling sick,” said zoo manager Nguyen Ba Phuc.
Samples taken from the tigers tested positive for H5N1, the virus that causes bird flu.
The virus was first identified in 1959 and grew into a widespread and highly lethal menace to migratory birds and domesticated poultry. It has since evolved, and in recent years H5N1 was detected in a growing number of animals ranging from dogs and cats to sea lions and polar bears.
In cats, scientists have found the virus attacking the brain, damaging and clotting blood vessels and causing seizures and death.
More than 20 other tigers were isolated for monitoring. The zoo houses some 3,000 other animals including lions, bears, rhinos, hippos and giraffes.
The 30 staff members who were taking care of the tigers tested negative for bird flu and were in normal health condition, VNExpress reported. Another outbreak also occurred at a zoo in nearby Long An province, where 27 tigers and 3 lions died within a week in September, the newspaper said.
Unusual flu strains that come from animals are occasionally found in people. Health officials in the United States said Thursday that two dairy workers in California were infected — making 16 total cases detected in the country in 2024.
“The deaths of 47 tigers, three lions, and a panther at My Quynh Safari and Vuon Xoai Zoo amid Vietnam’s bird flu outbreak are tragic and highlight the risks of keeping wild animals in captivity,” PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
“The exploitation of wild animals also puts global human health at risk by increasing the likelihood of another pandemic,” Baker said.
Bird flu has caused hundreds of deaths around the world, the vast majority of them involving direct contact between people and infected birds.