The Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Royal Natural Reserve Development Authority (ITBA) announced its participation in the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) Gallery at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
ITBA will showcase its drone-based program, the biggest of its kind, in protecting biodiversity in Saudi Arabia, for being more effective and efficient in the environmental activities and having a lower carbon footprint.
ITBA drone-based program has already contributed to raising the efficiency of monitoring and protection teams by over 220%. In addition, by reducing dependence on fossil fuel vehicles, drones have helped cut carbon emissions by over 66%.
Furthermore, an interactive monitor will showcase specifications of the pioneering Vegetation Cover Evaluation Project, which uses remote sensor technologies, in addition to displaying ITBA’s initiatives of expanding the vegetation cover and the plantation of trees, in line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to plant 600 million trees by 2030 for a more sustainable future.
All ITBA’s projects and initiatives are fully aligned with the national goals of the Saudi Vision 2030, and dedicated to preserving the vegetation cover and biodiversity, including rare and endangered species, as part of broader environmental protection efforts.
The Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) aims to reduce carbon emissions, plant 10 billion trees during the next decades, and protect 30% of sovereign land and sea, within the Kingdom’s efforts to reach net zero by 2060.
Spanning over 91,500 km2, ITBA is the second largest reserve in Saudi Arabia. Known for its marvelous nature and biodiversity, the reserve is home to 138 wild species, including Rhim Gazelles, Oryxes, and more than 179 wild plants, including Ziziphus, Acacia, and Arta trees.
