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MEWA, NEOM Reveal Eight Unrecorded Native Plant Species in Saudi Arabia

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA
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MEWA, NEOM Reveal Eight Unrecorded Native Plant Species in Saudi Arabia

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA

The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture (MEWA) and NEOM have discovered eight native plant species that were not previously recorded in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to a press release from MEWA.
This discovery is the result of the ‘NEOM flora program,’ a two-phased program that included a comprehensive study of the geology, soil, watershed hydrology, ecology, and topography of NEOM. The program supports NEOM’s broader commitment to protect 95% of nature and the ongoing efforts to document and restore its unique biodiversity, SPA reported.
On this occasion, MEWA Deputy Minister for Agriculture Eng. Ahmad Alayadh said: "The new plant species have been documented at the National Herbarium within the Seed Center and Plant Genetic Resources Bank in Riyadh. These species represent a significant addition to the recorded flora of Saudi Arabia."
Alayadh praised the team behind this achievement; the eight new plant species are: Bituminaria flaccida (Nábělek) Greuter, Cicer judaicum Boiss, Crambe hispanica L, Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC, Hyoscyamus boveanus (Dunal) Asch & Schweinf, Muscari longipes subsp Longipes, Phagnalon nitidum Fresen, and Plantago sinaica (Barnéoud) Decne.
Head of the NEOM Nature Reserve Dr. Paul Marshall said: "The NEOM Nature Reserve is protecting and restoring NEOM's extraordinary landscape. Our nature conservation work is supported by careful planning and management in NEOM's development areas. The NEOM Flora Program is an example of this planning and underscores NEOM's commitment to regreening and rewilding its natural environment."
NEOM Landscape Architecture Senior Manager Dhiya Zaidan said: "Over the past two and a half years, this initiative has yielded remarkable results, including documenting 345 local plant species, 28 rare species, and eight new registered plant species not previously recorded in the Kingdom. This would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of our researchers and scientists on the ground."
Launched in 2021, the flora program is one of NEOM's key initiatives to document and conserve the region's natural heritage. The program helps to improve knowledge of the local vegetation and plant species found in the region. NEOM is committed to protecting 95% of its nature; a central pillar is establishing a world-class protected area.

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Wildfires Rage in Los Angeles, Forcing Tens of Thousands to Flee

Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
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Wildfires Rage in Los Angeles, Forcing Tens of Thousands to Flee

Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)

A rapidly growing wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying numerous buildings and creating traffic jams as more than 30,000 people evacuated, while a second blaze doubled in size some 30 miles inland.

At least 2,921 acres (1,182 hectares) of the Pacific Palisades area between the coastal towns of Santa Monica and Malibu had burned by the Palisades Fire, officials said, after they had already warned of extreme fire danger from powerful winds that arrived following extended dry weather.

A fire official told local television station KTLA that several people were injured, some with burns to faces and hands. The official added that one female firefighter had sustained a head injury.

The second blaze dubbed the Eaton Fire broke out some 30 miles (50 km) inland near Pasadena and doubled in size to 400 acres (162 hectares) in a few hours, according to Cal Fire.

Almost 100 residents from a nursing home in Pasadena were evacuated, according to CBS News. Video showed elderly residents, many in wheelchairs and on gurneys, crowded onto a smokey and windswept parking lot as fire trucks and ambulances attended.

Fire officials said a third blaze named the Hurst Fire had started in Sylmar, in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles, prompting evacuations of some nearby residents.

PALISADES FIRE

Witnesses reported a number of homes on fire with flames nearly scorching their cars when people fled the hills of Topanga Canyon, as the fire spread from there down to the Pacific Ocean.

Local media reported the fire had spread north, torching homes near Malibu.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley had earlier told a press conference that more than 25,000 people in 10,000 homes were threatened.

Firefighters in aircraft scooped water from the sea to drop it on the nearby flames. Flames engulfed homes and bulldozers cleared abandoned vehicles from roads so emergency vehicles could pass, television images showed.

The fire singed some trees on the grounds of the Getty Villa, a museum loaded with priceless works of art, but the collection remained safe largely because of preventive efforts to trim brush surrounding the buildings, the museum said.

With only one major road leading from the canyon to the coast, and only one coastal highway leading to safety, traffic crawled to a halt, leading people to flee on foot.

Cindy Festa, a Pacific Palisades resident, said that as she evacuated out of the canyon, fires were "this close to the cars," demonstrating with her thumb and forefinger.

"People left their cars on Palisades Drive. Burning up the hillside. The palm trees - everything is going," Festa said from her car.

Before the fire started, the National Weather Service had issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions for much of Los Angeles County from Tuesday through Thursday, predicting wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph (80 to 130 kph).

With low humidity and dry vegetation due to a lack of rain, the conditions were "about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather," the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service said on X.

Governor Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency, said the state positioned personnel, firetrucks and aircraft elsewhere in Southern California because of the fire danger to the wider region, he added.

The powerful winds changed President Joe Biden's travel plans, grounding Air Force One in Los Angeles. He had planned to make a short flight inland to the Coachella Valley for a ceremony to create two new national monuments in California but the event was rescheduled for a later date at the White House.

"I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire," Biden said in a statement. A federal grant had already been approved to help reimburse the state of California for its fire response, Biden said.

Pacific Palisades is home to several Hollywood stars. Actor James Woods said on X he was able to evacuate but added, "I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing."

Actor Steve Guttenberg told KTLA television that friends of his were impeded from evacuating because others had abandoned their cars on the road.

"It's really important for everybody to band together and don't worry about your personal property. Just get out," Guttenberg said. "Get your loved ones and get out."