In a strategic move aimed at accelerating the achievement of the Saudi Green Initiative's , the National Afforestation Program announced the signing of eight Memoranda of Understanding with several leading associations, organizations, and companies in the real estate sector. These partnerships aim to plant more than eight million trees across the Kingdom, providing a significant boost to national efforts to develop vegetation cover and combat climate change.
The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the program's participation in the "Restatex Riyadh Real Estate Exhibition 2026," by the program's Executive Vice President, Engineer Ahmed Al-Anzi. This step comes as part of the program's review of its initiatives and ongoing efforts to contribute effectively to environmental protection and achieving sustainability goals, which are a fundamental pillar of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 .
General context: Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030
These partnerships fall under the broader framework of the Saudi Green Initiative, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2021. The initiative aims to achieve ambitious environmental goals, most notably planting 10 billion trees across the Kingdom in the coming decades and rehabilitating nearly 40 million hectares of degraded land, thereby contributing to reduced carbon emissions and improved quality of life. The National Afforestation Program is the primary executive arm responsible for realizing these goals on the ground through effective partnerships with the public and private sectors and civil society.
The importance of agreements and their expected impact
The importance of these memoranda goes beyond simply planting trees, encompassing multiple aspects with local, regional, and international impact:
At the local level:
These partnerships will contribute to raising community and environmental awareness of the importance of preserving vegetation. They also focus on adopting sustainable solutions such as using greywater and treated wastewater in irrigation, thus reducing pressure on scarce water resources. These projects are expected to improve air quality, moderate temperatures in urban areas, and create new green spaces that enhance residents' quality of life and provide them with a natural respite.
At the regional and international levels:
These efforts reinforce Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional leader in climate action and support the broader goals of the Green Middle East Initiative . They also represent a tangible contribution to global efforts to combat desertification and land degradation, aligning with the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Kingdom’s success in implementing afforestation projects of this scale provides an inspiring model for countries with similar climatic conditions.
Details of joint cooperation
The areas of cooperation outlined in the signed memoranda include providing technical and advisory support for afforestation projects, supplying seedlings suitable for diverse local environments, and transferring and exchanging expertise to build national capacity in this field. Afforestation efforts will cover a variety of locations, including public parks, squares, national parks, rangelands, and spaces within new real estate developments, thus ensuring integration between urban development and environmental objectives.
