Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The 27th session of the Near East Forestry and Range Commission opened Monday in Jeddah, bringing together regional and international experts to address challenges facing forests and rangelands in the context of climate change and land degradation.According to SPA, the three-day event is being hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC).In his opening remarks, a representative from NCVC noted that the region’s forests span more than 42 million hectares, while natural pastures cover over 303 million hectares. These resources, he said, are vital for the livelihoods of millions and play a critical role in preserving biodiversity. However, they remain under severe pressure from desertification, land degradation, and the accelerating effects of climate change.“Globally, 40% of land is degraded, impacting 3.2 billion people. This trend could drive food prices up by 30%, threaten 75% of freshwater resources, destroy over half of global biodiversity through habitat loss, and contribute to a 24% rise in carbon emissions due to the loss of vegetation cover,” he warned.The Kingdom’s ambitious environmental commitments were also highlighted, including the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. Together, they aim to plant 10 billion trees within Saudi Arabia and 50 billion across the wider region, rehabilitating nearly 40 million hectares of land. To date, more than 151 million trees have been planted under the National Afforestation Program, and over 505,000 hectares of degraded land have been restored.The session’s agenda will focus on advancing integrated solutions to maximize the potential of forests and rangelands, supporting sustainable food systems, and strengthening rural development.
