The “Monitoring Land Productivity Dynamics and Trends in Soil Organic Carbon Stocks in Hyper-arid Environments” workshop commenced today, organized by the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification (NCVC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Saudi Arabia. The three-day workshop features participation from a range of local and international experts.
In his speech, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture for the Environment Dr. Osama Faqeeha emphasized that Saudi Arabia has prioritized environmental protection and land restoration under Vision 2030, which includes restructuring institutional frameworks, establishing specialized environmental centers, and launching the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative.
Dr. Faqeeha highlighted Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 1
6), which aims to raise global awareness about the importance of land and combat the effects of desertification and drought. The conference seeks to enhance partnerships between countries, relevant organizations, and sectors to yield significant decisions and ambitious outcomes that bolster international efforts to curb land degradation and its environmental and economic consequences.
NCVC CEO Dr. Khaled Al-Abdulkader pointed out numerous challenges in preparing national reports on land degradation using the UNCCD framework and global indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He emphasized that vegetation cover levels in hyper-arid environments are often significantly lower than the global average, leading to inaccurate estimates.
Dr. Al-Abdulkader explained that the workshop’s outcomes are expected to guide experts in identifying the appropriate methodologies and steps needed to enhance monitoring techniques for assessing land-degradation indicators. He emphasized that the extreme climatic
conditions and high drought index in hyper-arid environments make globally recognized land-degradation indicators less effective, underscoring the need to improve existing methodologies.
The workshop addressed the global approach to monitoring land degradation, focusing on several key indicators in hyper-arid environments and their significance. The discussions covered the mechanisms for achieving SDG targets, the main challenges in these environments, and the exploration of alternative methodologies. Additionally, the workshop aimed to develop pathways for solutions tailored to hyper-arid areas by establishing a project to monitor those using appropriate methodologies.
The NCVC works on developing, protecting, and monitoring vegetation cover sites, as well as rehabilitating degraded areas. This includes managing and investing in rangelands, forests, and national parks. Additionally, the center focuses on detecting encroachments on vegetation cover and combating illegal logging across the Kingdom, with th
e goal of preserving natural resources and biodiversity.
Source: Saudi Press Agency