عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Saudi Arabia Launches Rainwater Harvesting Project to Rehabilitate 620,000 Hectares of Land

The project will use rainwater harvesting techniques to improve vegetation cover in nine regions across the Kingdom. (SPA)
The project will use rainwater harvesting techniques to improve vegetation cover in nine regions across the Kingdom. (SPA)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Launches Rainwater Harvesting Project to Rehabilitate 620,000 Hectares of Land

The project will use rainwater harvesting techniques to improve vegetation cover in nine regions across the Kingdom. (SPA)
The project will use rainwater harvesting techniques to improve vegetation cover in nine regions across the Kingdom. (SPA)

The National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) launched a major project to rehabilitate 620,000 hectares of degraded land in Saudi Arabia, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The project will use rainwater harvesting techniques to improve vegetation cover in nine regions across the Kingdom.

It will involve studying the feasibility of implementing rehabilitation projects in three main climatic regions, continental, coastal, and mountainous, and identifying the target areas, the appropriate rainwater harvesting techniques, and the activities to be carried out in each region.

NCVC will also collect climate and hydrological data, study topographic and survey maps, and analyze satellite imagery. Field visits will be conducted to collect soil and water samples, carry out field measurements and laboratory analyzes, and identify the drainage network of the main basins in the study areas.

The project is expected to yield several outputs, such as uncovering the root causes and severity of land degradation, cataloging existing plant species and their numbers, recommending suitable plant types for restoration and their optimal propagation methods, calculating the seed or seedling needs for designated areas, identifying ideal planting times, establishing the desired ratio of plants not good for grazing to those good for grazing, and determining rainfall patterns, water requirements, and areas targeted for cultivation.

The project will also determine the most effective rainwater harvesting system for each site.

The project is part of NCVC's efforts to combat desertification and improve the environment in Saudi Arabia. It is aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to achieve sustainable development and protect the environment.

Rainwater harvesting is a technique used to collect and store rainwater for later use. The project will use a variety of rainwater harvesting techniques, including making use of dams, reservoirs, cisterns, and wells.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Scientists Seek Miracle Pill to Stop Methane Cow Burps

A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT

Scientists Seek Miracle Pill to Stop Methane Cow Burps

A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)

A scientist guides a long tube into the mouth and down to the stomach of Thing 1, a two-month-old calf that is part of a research project aiming to prevent cows from burping methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Paulo de Meo Filho, a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Davis, is part of an ambitious experiment aiming to develop a pill to transform cow gut bacteria so it emits less or no methane.

While the fossil fuel industry and some natural sources emit methane, cattle farming has become a major climate concern due to the sheer volume of the cows' emissions.

"Almost half of the increase in (global) temperature that we've had so far, it's been because of methane," said Ermias Kebreab, an animal science professor at UC Davis.

Methane, the second largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide, breaks down faster than CO2 but is more potent.

"Methane lives in the atmosphere for about 12 years" unlike carbon dioxide which persists for centuries, Kebreab said.

"If you start reducing methane now, we can actually see the effect on the temperature very quickly."

Filho uses the tube to extract liquid from Thing 1's rumen -- the first stomach compartment containing partially digested food.

Using the rumen liquid samples, the scientists are studying the microbes that convert hydrogen into methane, which is not digested by the cow but instead burped out.

A single cow will burp roughly 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of the gas annually.

- 'Social critters' -

Thing 1 and other calves receive a seaweed-supplemented diet to reduce methane production.

Scientists hope to achieve similar results by introducing genetically modified microbes that soak up hydrogen, starving methane-producing bacteria at the source.

However, the team proceeds cautiously.

"We can't just simply cut down methane production by removing" methane-making bacteria, as hydrogen could accumulate to the point of harming the animal, warned Matthias Hess, who runs the UC Davis lab.

"Microbes are kind of social critters. They really like to live together," he said.

"The way they interact and affect each other impacts the overall function of the ecosystem."

Hess's students test different formulas in bioreactors, vessels that reproduce microorganisms' living conditions in a stomach from movements to temperature.

- More productive cows -

The project is being carried out at UC Davis as well as UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI).

IGI scientists are trying to identify the right microbe -- the one they hope to genetically alter to supplant methane-producing microbes.

The modified microorganisms will then be tested at UC Davis in the lab and in the animals.

"Not only are we trying to reduce methane emissions, but you also increase the feed efficiency," said Kebreab.

"Hydrogen and methane, they are both energy, and so if you reduce that energy and redirect it to something else... we have a better productivity and lower emissions at the same time."

The ultimate goal is a single-dose treatment administered early in life, since most cattle graze freely and can't receive daily supplements.

The three research teams have been given $70 million and seven years to achieve a breakthrough.

Kebreab has long studied sustainable livestock practices and pushes back against calls to reduce meat consumption to save the planet.

While acknowledging this might work for healthy adults in developed nations, he pointed to countries like Indonesia, where the government is seeking to increase meat and dairy production because 20 percent of children under five suffer from stunted growth.

"We can't tell them to not eat meat," he said.