Green Initiative: 10,000 Arta Trees Planted in King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve
In the sweeping expanse of the Al-Dahna sands, a quiet transformation is underway. Ten thousand arta trees are being planted across the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, the result of a collaboration between the reserve’s development authority and the Green Dahna Association. Three hundred volunteers from government agencies and educational institutions have joined the effort, their hands in the soil, their eyes on the horizon.
A Tree Built for the Desert
The arta tree was not chosen by accident. Native to the region, it possesses a remarkable ability to thrive in harsh desert climates where few other species can survive. Its deep roots stabilize shifting sands, anchoring soil that might otherwise be carried away by wind. It requires little water, offers shade where none exists, and provides habitat for insects, birds, and small animals that form the base of desert food chains.
In the language of ecology, the arta is what scientists call a keystone species—a single organism that shapes the entire ecosystem around it. Plant one, and you plant the conditions for life itself.
A Collective Effort
The 300 volunteers fanning out across the reserve represent more than manpower. They carry the weight of institutional commitment. Government agencies, schools, and community organizations have mobilized their members, recognizing that environmental restoration is not a task for specialists alone but a responsibility shared across society.
Authority CEO Maher Al-Gothmi framed the initiative as an example of the integration required to meet national goals. “This collaboration exemplifies the institutional integration needed to achieve the targets of the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030,” he said. His words point to a broader truth: no single entity can restore a landscape. It takes partnerships, persistence, and people.
Beyond the Planting
The immediate goal is clear: 10,000 trees in the ground. But the deeper aim extends beyond counting saplings. Each planted tree contributes to biodiversity recovery, offering food and shelter to species whose habitats have diminished over decades. Each root system fights desertification, holding soil in place and slowing the advance of sand. Each volunteer carries home not just memories but awareness—a personal connection to the land that may shape future choices.
Al-Gothmi emphasized the long view. The initiative, he said, ensures “the sustainability of natural resources for future generations through research and community engagement.” The trees planted today will outlive the hands that placed them in the soil. Their shade will fall on children not yet born.
A Green Thread in a National Vision
The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve planting is one thread in a larger tapestry. The Saudi Green Initiative, launched in 2021, aims to plant billions of trees across the Kingdom over decades. It is an acknowledgment that deserts, for all their beauty, cannot thrive without intervention—that restoration is not interference but partnership.
In Al-Dahna, the first 10,000 arta trees are going into the ground. They are small now, vulnerable, dependent on care. But given time, they will grow. Their roots will deepen. The desert will shift around them, slowly, almost imperceptibly, toward life.
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