King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in collaboration with The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC), have inaugurated the Experimental Station and Ecological Observatory located in Wadi Qudaid National Park, Khulais Province, in the Makkah Region. This initiative is part of ongoing efforts to expand knowledge and strengthen partnerships between researchers and innovators in the environmental sector.

  Dr. Khaled Al-Abdulkader, CEO of the NCVC, emphasized that The Experimental Station and Ecological Observatory is a major outcome of the successful collaboration between the NCVC and KAUST, one of the Kingdom's foremost scientific research institutions.

  He added that the station includes a fully integrated environment, greenhouse facilities and research plots, noting that the station aims to test various interventions for the purpose of environmental improvement and desert afforestation. This supports research aimed at understanding the local plant environment through the KSA native genome project, in addition to fostering research and innovations and translating them into sustainable afforestation practices, in line with the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative.

  The inauguration of the Qudaid Research Station represents a significant milestone in the NCVC’s pursuit of innovation in nursery management, seed banks and the production of saplings for wild and coastal plants. This initiative also contributes to broader efforts to restore vegetation cover, conserve plant genetic resources and rehabilitate national parks.

  KAUST Professor Rod Wing has spearheaded the NCVC-KAUST Experiment Station project since 2022. Wing sees the station playing a key role in the national revegetation project under the Saudi Green Initiative: “NCVC is charged with greening over a third of Saudi Arabia. It is our hope that the NCVC- KAUST Experiment Station will directly contribute to this revegetation effort by developing innovative science-based solutions to accelerate the greening of Saudi Arabia sustainably and cost effectively and train the next generation of ecological stewards that will enhance the quality of life for all who live here.”

  KAUST Vice President of Research Pierre Magistretti said: “The NCVC- KAUST Experiment Station marks an important collaboration between NCVC and KAUST that will accelerate scientific and translational research to deliver practical and sustainable solutions at the nexus of food, water and energy”.