Strengthening Capacities for Developing the Sustainable Land Management Framework in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), jointly organized a training workshop on 14 to 18 July 2024, for about 46 participants from 14 national stakeholders. These stakeholders include several departments of NCVC, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) and relevant universities, focused on strengthening their capacity in developing a sustainable land management (SLM) framework in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Training workshop strengthens NCVC, MEWA and universities’ capacity for developing SLM framework in Saudi Arabia

“The cooperation between NCVC and FAO has been instrumental in enhancing joint efforts for sustainable natural resources development in Saudi Arabia,” said Mohamed Al Saeed, Director of the Department of Mitigation of Drought, speaking on behalf of the NCVC at the opening ceremony of the training workshop held at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Riyadh. Al Saeed emphasized the importance of collaborating with an elite group of experts, specialists and stakeholders to strengthen partnership and unify efforts in protecting the environment, improving vegetation cover and combating desertification. He noted that the stakeholders’ engagement reflects the extent of their commitment to environmental and sustainability issues and underscores the importance of cooperation between different parties to achieve Saudi Arabia’s environmental goals.

“Environmental challenges in Saudi Arabia necessitate strong cooperation, solidarity and the adoption of best global practices in natural resources management,” added Al Saeed as he spoke about the series of fruitful meetings held to discuss compatibility and ways to enhance the joint efforts. Through this workshop, NCVC aims to strengthen its technical and administrative capabilities, and to exchange ideas and experiences with our international partners.

Al Saeed extended his deepest appreciation to FAO and WOCAT for their continued support and cooperation and thanked the participants for their active engagement and great keen interest in environmental and sustainability issues. He concluded by expressing NCVC’s aspirations and anticipation of achieving positive and tangible results through this constructive cooperation.

Saudi Arabia's commitment to sustainable rural agriculture

“Efforts to combat climate change and enhance sustainable agriculture are crucial for securing food security and improving livelihoods in hyper-arid regions,” Kakoli Ghosh, speaking on behalf of FAO Saudi Arabia, and welcoming the WOCAT team and participants from different sectors. Ghosh commended Saudi decision-makers for their strong support for the development of scientific and sustainable solutions in reducing land degradation and mitigating sand encroachment to improve the rural economy. She emphasized FAO’s commitment to providing best practices to achieve food security through piloting innovative and suitable solutions in the agriculture sector. She stressed that these efforts should continue, focusing on value addition, conserving natural resources and improving livelihood and income.

Collaboration between FAO with WOCAT

“Our collaboration with WOCAT is pivotal in developing SLM framework, which will play a key role in addressing land degradation and desertification in Saudi Arabia while engaging a wide range of stakeholders to promote environmental sustainability,” said Jeremiah Njeru, Chief Technical Adviser of Natural Resources Management at FAO Saudi Arabia. He highlighted the collaboration between FAO and WOCAT through a Letter of Agreement, aims on strengthening the SLM in Saudi Arabia by developing an SLM Framework in partnership with the NCVC and MEWA. Njeru emphasized that an SLM framework will enable Saudi Arabia to effectively tackle land degradation and desertification, promote SLM technologies and practices across the Kingdom, and develop a platform for engaging all land sector stakeholders including government institutions, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and local communities.

Njeru also emphasized the overarching goal of promoting innovative SLM technologies and practices to prevent degradation, enhance ecosystem resilience, and contribute to the long-term environmental sustainability goals of Saudi Arabia, including the Saudi Vision 2030 and other climate, biodiversity, and environmental initiatives such as Saudi Green Initiative. He welcomed the WOCAT team and highlighted the workshop as the initial step in documenting and implementing sustainable land management in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi gains essential knowledge in SLM and readiness

Three experts from WOCAT, namely Rima Mekdaschi, Jonas Chastonay and Joren Verbist, actively participated in the 5-day training workshop. They presented a common understanding of SLM, a brief introduction to WOCAT focusing on database and its use, SLM and the landscape approach, WOCAT documentation, criteria for assessing the sustainability and suitability of good land management practices, using WOCAT data within the context of the SLM framework for Saudi Arabia and initial ideas for a platform specific to Saudi Arabia. Additionally, four experts from FAO Saudi Arabia, namely Sami Albarih, Mona Dawelbait, Mosaed Majrashi and Yahya Alotaibi, contributed by presenting the status of land degradation in Saudi Arabia, identifying hotspots and focus areas as well as organizing a field day in Thadiq governorate to document three technologies and one approach.

Extensive discussions were held with 46 participants, with strong participation of Saudi females throughout the workshop. The training workshop concluded successfully, featuring a range of topics, including individual tutorials and practical sessions for participants to reflect on and apply their newly acquired knowledge in suitability, sustainability and documentation of technologies and approaches in the WOCAT platform.

On the final day, a planning presentation highlighting the next steps was delivered, with ongoing efforts planned to document SLM practices in Saudi Arabia and establish a framework for integration into the proposed Arabic platform of SLM for Saudi Arabia. The skills and knowledge gained will be instrumental and play a crucial role in combating desertification in Saudi Arabia through the implementation of SLM practices.