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.



Trump Solo: First Lady, Children Out of Frame in New Term 

US First Lady Melania Trump (L) and President Donald Trump attend the 2025 Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 21 April 2025. (EPA)
US First Lady Melania Trump (L) and President Donald Trump attend the 2025 Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 21 April 2025. (EPA)
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Trump Solo: First Lady, Children Out of Frame in New Term 

US First Lady Melania Trump (L) and President Donald Trump attend the 2025 Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 21 April 2025. (EPA)
US First Lady Melania Trump (L) and President Donald Trump attend the 2025 Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 21 April 2025. (EPA)

First Lady Melania Trump, relatively out of public view during her husband's first term, has been even more off-grid this time around.

In the first 100 days since Donald Trump returned to office, the first lady has appeared at only a handful of public events. It is unclear how many days she has even spent in Washington.

Trump's other family members have similarly been missing from the White House, but most are not shying away from the public spotlight.

Here is a look at what Trump's family is -- or isn't -- up to early in his second term:

- Whither Melania? -

When the president has returned from Florida -- where he spends nearly every weekend -- it is neither the first lady nor any other family member exiting the helicopter with him, but often his billionaire aide Elon Musk and Musk's young son.

Apart from fueling further speculation of marital strife, Melania Trump's absence from this weekly ritual highlights what Ohio University history professor Katherine Jellison calls a "major and very noticeable" shift from precedent.

"She's quite different from every first lady for a couple of generations at least, more than a couple of generations. I would have to go all the way back to Bess Truman in the late '40s and early '50s to find such a low-profile first lady," Jellison told AFP.

"Weeks and weeks go by and the American public doesn't really see her."

So what has she been up to? The public may eventually get a glimpse via a documentary series she is filming with Amazon, under a contract reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.

Jaded by the critiques of her previous tenure as first lady, Melania Trump, 54, seems determined to "get the upper hand and have more control over her public image," Jellison said.

"I think the American people in general still feel they don't know her, and maybe this... is her attempting to tell us who she is, but on her own terms."

- Older Kids -

During Donald Trump's first term, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner held important White House advisory roles -- but not this time.

Ivanka has stated she wants to spend more time with her children, while Jared is managing a private equity fund.

Elder sons Don Jr. and Eric continue to run the Trump family business, which now includes, controversially, a growing cryptocurrency portfolio.

Unlike Ivanka, they both frequently take to social media to tout their father's MAGA agenda.

Don Jr. -- known for his ability to tap into the Trump base -- is especially vocal and hosts a twice-weekly podcast, "Triggered," which recently had Secretary of State Marco Rubio as an "exclusive guest."

Eric's wife Lara Trump, who co-led the national Republican Party during last year's campaign, now hosts a weekly Fox News show. It also frequently includes administration officials as guests.

The Trump family has continued to "capitalize on their roles as the First Family," Jellison said, in what previously would have been considered "quite taboo behavior."

Meanwhile, Tiffany Trump -- the president's only child with his second wife Marla Maples -- is expecting a child with husband Michael Boulos, and has remained out of the spotlight.

The president has, however, tapped Michael's wealthy father Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-born businessman with extensive experience in Nigeria, to be his senior advisor for Africa, and an advisor on Middle Eastern affairs.

- Generation Z -

Barron, the president's only child with Melania, has grown up a lot since his father's first term.

The 19-year-old, now a towering six-foot-seven-inches (2.01 meters), is studying business at New York University. He won MAGA admirers with his brief inauguration appearances, but has since remained out of public view.

Donald Trump's camp has credited Barron's advice on new media, such as podcasts and TikTok, as helping him win over young men voters.

Kai Trump, daughter of Don Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa Trump, has a growing social media following, especially on TikTok.

The 17-year-old, who notably spoke at last year's Republican National Convention, posts frequent video blogs showing her life as an amateur golfer, as well as sharing behind-the-scenes moments with "grandpa."