Saudi Arabia has restored one million hectares of degraded land and planted more than 159 million trees, marking a major step in its long-term environmental transformation.
“This achievement proves that land restoration is possible even in the most challenging environments,” said Yasmine Fouad, executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
The milestone builds on rapid progress from 18,000 hectares restored at the programme’s start to 250,000 hectares by 2024, now reaching 1,000,000 hectares, with a target of 2.5 million by 2030. The wider initiative aims to plant 10 billion trees and rehabilitate 40 million hectares, supported by water harvesting, cloud seeding and conservation programmes that have already contributed to a 50% reduction in dust storms, while strengthening biodiversity and ecosystem resilience across the country.
