Overview
Vegetation Cover in Saudi Arabia comprises about 2,300 species of native plants, distributed across 21 plant regions that reflect a clear variation in natural systems.[1][2]
The Kingdom works to develop vegetation sites, protect and monitor them and rehabilitate degraded ones, and to combat the felling of trees, alongside national programmes for afforestation and land rehabilitation.[8][1]
Plant Regions and Native Species
The map of plant regions in Saudi Arabia identifies 21 ecological regions that reflect a clear variation in natural systems.[2] The map is linked electronically to the National Afforestation Platform, so that it can be accessed at any time and from anywhere.[2]
The Kingdom has about 2,300 species of native plants, of which 300 species were selected as the most suitable for the Kingdom's diverse environments.[1] The Afforestation Platform is an integrated digital platform that provides guiding evidence and the characteristics and data of the ecological regions.[1]
Tourism and nature
The National Afforestation Season
The National Afforestation Season 2026 was launched on 7 October 2026 under the slogan «A generation plants.. for a nation that flourishes».[3]
Over the past two years, 109 tonnes of seeds for 40 plant species suited to the local environment were scattered, and more than 51,000 hectares of rangeland were rehabilitated.[3] It was preceded by the National Afforestation Season 2025, which was launched on 26 October 2025 under the slogan «A hand plants and a land flourishes».[4]
The Saudi Green Initiative and Combating Desertification
The Saudi Green Initiative aims to plant ten billion trees, equivalent to rehabilitating forty million hectares in the different environments.[5] The number of trees planted reached more than 95 million, and more than 1660 endangered animals were reintroduced across the Kingdom up to November 2024.[6]
Saudi Green Initiative Day is celebrated on 27 March each year, coinciding with the anniversary of the launch of the Initiative by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister on the same day in 2021.[7] Riyadh hosted the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16) from 2 to 13 December 2024.[6]
The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development
The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development works to develop vegetation sites, protect and monitor them and rehabilitate degraded ones around the Kingdom, to detect encroachments on them and to combat the felling of trees.[8]
The Center grants camping permits, where the camping period does not exceed three months and the area is 5,000 m2 for individuals and 25,000 m2 for entities as a maximum.[9]
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many trees have been planted in Saudi Arabia? A: The number of trees planted exceeded 151 million, with more than 500,000 hectares of land rehabilitated up to December 2025.[1]
Q: How many species of native plants are there in Saudi Arabia? A: About 2,300 species of native plants, of which 300 species were selected as the most suitable for the Kingdom's environments.[1]
Q: How many plant regions are there in Saudi Arabia? A: 21 ecological regions, linked electronically to the National Afforestation Platform.[2]
Q: What is the target of the Saudi Green Initiative? A: Planting ten billion trees, equivalent to rehabilitating forty million hectares in the different environments.[5]
Q: When is Saudi Green Initiative Day celebrated? A: On 27 March each year, the anniversary of the launch of the Initiative in 2021.[7]
Conclusion
The environmental sector in Saudi Arabia continues to expand the area of vegetation cover through national afforestation programmes, combating desertification and rehabilitating rangelands, alongside preserving native plant species in their different environments.[1][3][8] Related topics on the platform include Aja and Salma Mountains, Wildlife in Saudi Arabia, Rub' al-Khali and Saudi Vision 2030, as well as the Saudi Green Initiative.
Related topics
- TopicSaudi Green InitiativeThe Saudi Green Initiative is a national initiative announced by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister on 27 March 2021, charting the Kingdom's direction in protecting land and nature along a clear and ambitious roadmap. It targets the planting of 10 billion trees, the raising of protected areas to more than 30 percent, and the supply of 50 percent of electricity generation from renewable energy by 2030.
- National visions and programmesSaudi Vision 2030: A Framework for TransformationAn introduction to Saudi Vision 2030, its social, economic and institutional themes, and the relationship between implementation programmes, long-term targets and measured results.
- HistoricAja and Salma MountainsThe Aja and Salma mountains are two mountain ranges in the Hail Region and among its most famous natural and heritage landmarks, forming a destination for environmental and mountain tourism and for archaeological sites that include the palace of Hatim al-Ta'i and Darb Zubaydah [1].
- HistoricWildlife of Saudi ArabiaWildlife in Saudi Arabia is a system of desert, sandy, valley, and plateau environments that shelter hundreds of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and wild plants.[1][2] Nature reserves work to protect and develop it and to reintroduce endangered species into their habitats.[1][3]
- HistoricKing Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Nature ReserveKing Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve is a royal nature reserve in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the largest reserve in the Middle East, with a total area of 130,700 square kilometres extending across four administrative regions. It contains broad biodiversity and rock art sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.