The General Department of Natural Rangelands is at the forefront of protecting and sustainably managing the Kingdom's vast rangeland areas, which cover a significant portion of the country's land. With a mission to safeguard and enhance the natural vegetation, the department employs advanced sustainable practices to preserve the delicate ecosystems of these rangelands. Through initiatives like regulated grazing, habitat protection, land rehabilitation, reforestation, and rainwater harvesting, the department ensures the long-term sustainability of these vital landscapes.
Its efforts not only bolster the livestock sector, which heavily depends on grazing, but also play a critical role in enriching biodiversity, combating soil erosion and degradation, and mitigating dust storms. By balancing ecological preservation with economic and social benefits, the department improves the quality of life for current and future generations, ensuring that Saudi Arabia's natural resources continue to thrive and support a sustainable future.
Objectives:
- Contributing to achieving the targets of the Saudi Green Initiative.
- Developing vegetation cover in areas supervised by the NCVC.
- Supporting the livestock sector that depends on grazing in the Kingdom.
- Enhancing rangeland areas for beekeeping and improving honey production.
- Preserving and enriching biological diversity.
- Contributing to reducing the risks of soil erosion, land degradation, and dust storms.
- Limiting land degradation.
- Mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Mandates:
- Contributing to achieving the objectives of the National Environmental Strategy.
- Supervising rangeland areas in the Kingdom.
- Protecting and developing vegetation cover in rangelands.
- Regulating grazing activities.
- Rehabilitating degraded rangelands.
- Ensuring the sustainable development of pastoral resources.
Milestones of the General Department of Natural Rangelands:
- Development of an executive plan for natural rangeland enhancement.
- Encouraging the establishment of pastoral associations.
- Launching an initiative to rehabilitate floodplains and sandy meadows, targeting the rehabilitation of over 1,300 areas.
- Establishing 11 stations for the production of wild and pastoral seeds using the latest technologies and production lines.
- Creating 7 large-scale nurseries that can produce more than 39 million saplings annually.
- Securing the best modern technologies and tools for seed dispersal, collection, and rainwater harvesting.
- The first grazing phase in 26 locations will cover an area of approximately 8 million hectares.
Area and Location of Rangelands:
Rangelands cover an area of 146 million hectares, constituting 73% of the Kingdom’s land area. They include a diverse range of ecosystems, driven by variations in rainfall, soil type, topography, and land use patterns.
