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Saudi Arabia: NCVC Plans to Rehabilitate 1,000 Floodplains, Meadows with 5 Royal Reserves

The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of five reserves
The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of five reserves
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Saudi Arabia: NCVC Plans to Rehabilitate 1,000 Floodplains, Meadows with 5 Royal Reserves

The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of five reserves
The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of five reserves

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development at Combating Desertification (NCVC) has organized a workshop to introduce the implementation plan to rehabilitate the floodplains and Meadows in partnership with five royal reserves.

The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Royal Reserve, Imam Abdulaziz Bin Mohammed Royal Reserve and King Khalid Royal Reserve to rehabilitate more than 1,000 floodplains and Meadows across the Kingdom.

The workshop discussed several main aspects about the goals of the initiative,

and the evaluation criteria for the techniques used in the rehabilitation process, the most important evaluation methods for the outcomes of the rehabilitation implementation’s, prominent areas of cooperation and partnership between the CNVC and the royal reserves, targeted development and community partnership.

The CEO of the National Center, Dr- Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Abdul-Qadir, explained that the implementation of the first phase involves rehabilitating 100 floodplains and meadows by planting 12 million trees and shrubs and scattering seeds, and the use of rainwater harvesting techniques.

The area targeted for the rehabilitation exceeds 225,000 hectares of degraded lands within a single area with a total size that exceeds 1.9 million hectares of floodplains and meadows, which contributes to enhancing environmental sustainability, improving living quality and to achieve the Kingdom’s vision 2030 and the Saudi green initiative to plant 10 billion trees.

It also comes as a contribution of work on a rehabilitation initiative of floodplains and meadows which was launched by the minister of environment, water and culture last October, to rehabilitate 1000 floodplains and meadows across the Kingdom.

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Study: Crops Under Threat as Surprise March Heatwave Hits Central Asia

Agriculture makes up one-fifth of the region's economy. VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP
Agriculture makes up one-fifth of the region's economy. VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP
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Study: Crops Under Threat as Surprise March Heatwave Hits Central Asia

Agriculture makes up one-fifth of the region's economy. VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP
Agriculture makes up one-fifth of the region's economy. VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP

A surprise heatwave hit Central Asia in March, a new study published Friday showed, putting in danger crops and water supply in a largely rural region already heavily affected by the impacts of climate change.

Temperatures across the month were up to 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter in the region than the pre-industrial average, according to World Weather Attribution, a coalition of scientists that studies the impact of climate change on extreme weather events, which conducted the research.

Climate change intensified the heatwave by about 4 degrees Celsius, the group said, though cautioned that figure "is likely an underestimate."

"This is a heatwave that didn't make headlines –- it happened in spring and in a region that isn't exactly known for blistering heatwaves," said Maja Vahlberg, a technical adviser at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre who took part in the study.

The research was conducted across the five Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

"Our heatwave studies often detect changes of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (35-39 degrees Fahrenheit), so 10 degree Celsius is quite frankly bonkers," said Ben Clarke from Imperial College London.

"Hotter March temperatures are impacting agriculture harvests and access to water in Central Asia, as well as people's health," said Friederike Otto, co-head of World Weather Attribution.

The melting of thousands of glaciers is a major threat to people in the landlocked region, which already suffers from water shortages.

Between 14 and 30 percent of glaciers in the Tian-Shan and Pamir -- the two main mountain ranges in Central Asia -- have melted over the last 60 years, according to a report by the Eurasian Development Bank.

The heatwave coincides with a crucial agricultural season, when almonds, apricots and cherries bloom and wheat is sowed.

Around half of all workers in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are employed in agriculture, which makes up one-fifth of the region's economy.

In particularly hot spots, temperatures hit 30 degrees Celsius -- highly unusual for March.

Central Asia is typically characterized by exceptionally hot summers and harsh, cold winters.

Climate scientists said early heatwaves in the region would likely continue, seeing it as a trend rather than a one-off event.

"We should expect events like this often," Clarke told AFP during an online briefing.