The International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies kickstarted in Riyadh on Sunday under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The event aims to promote sustainable environmental development and help achieve the goals of Saudi green initiatives.
Over 90 speakers and around 20 countries and international organizations are partaking in more than 20 dialogue discussions and a scientific workshop.
About 50 scientific papers will be presented for discussion, and more than 80 exhibitors will be showcasing the latest technological developments in combating desertification, mitigating its effects, and developing and protecting vegetation.
Organized by the National Center for the Development of Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification (NCVC), the exhibition and forum aim to contribute to achieving several goals, including identifying globally applied success models, bringing together major investors, corporate leaders, decision-makers, technology solution providers, and green industry leaders interested in climate and environmental issues.
It also aims to develop sustainability tools and provide a platform to encourage government agencies and semi-government organizations, companies, and non-profit organizations, targeting stakeholders to combat desertification and increase vegetation cover.
NCVC works to protect and control sites of vegetation cover, rehabilitate degraded areas around the Kingdom, detect illegal encroachments on them, and combat logging. It also works on supervising the management and investment of pasture lands, forests, and national parks.
The event goes to show the Kingdom's efforts to support and develop the vegetation cover and combat desertification.
This includes several axes such as nurseries and seeds, afforestation and its techniques, land rehabilitation and combating desertification, irrigation techniques, forest management and development, water sources and technologies, environmental solutions in plant carbon storage, pest control, and agricultural waste management.
The exhibition and forum aim to contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, evaluating and reviewing the most important research, studies, and technologies in the field of afforestation and combating desertification.
The forum will discuss the role of the private and non-profit sectors in the development of vegetation, modern techniques and means for effective nursery management and seed banks to support vegetation development projects, in addition to environmental initiatives within the Green Saudi Initiative, and the strategic plan for sustainable afforestation in the Kingdom.
The exhibition will deal with the management of the effects of fires and climate change. It will tackle invasive plant species in the Kingdom, mechanisms to limit their spread and the resulting effects on the environment and biodiversity.
Dialogue sessions and workshops will discuss the impact of afforestation on environmental and water systems.
Moreover, participants will tackle methods and techniques for improving soil properties and the role of marshes and wetlands for the development of vegetation cover, techniques and methods of rainwater harvesting in dry areas, and the use of artificial seeding technology to enhance water resources in dry areas.
