Saudi Arabia: The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has signed an agreement with the Gansu Desert Control Research Institute to enhance cooperation in combating desertification.

The deal was signed by Khaled bin Abdullah Al-Abdulkader, the CEO of the center, during the visit of Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, the Saudi minister of environment, water and agriculture, to China.

The signing followed a decision by the Council of Ministers in December 2024.

The agreement aims to foster collaboration in combating desertification, sand encroachment, drought, land degradation, and the impact of drought in arid areas, while promoting the sustainable management of drylands.

Al-Abdulkader also held strategic meetings with several prominent Chinese companies to explore potential collaborations with a view to attracting investment to Saudi Arabia.

Discussions took place on initiatives such as natural asset management, rangeland rehabilitation, desert resort development, and the transfer of greening and desertification control technologies, supporting Saudi Arabia’s vision for a green economy and sustainable land use.

Al-Abdulkader met BGI Group representatives in Beijing to explore cutting-edge technologies for mangrove cultivation, which plays a key role in coastal protection, vegetation expansion, and environmental sustainability.

He also held discussions at Shanghai Mengfu Environmental Protection Technology Company, focusing on innovative solutions for converting invasive plant species into marketable, eco-friendly products.

In the field of environmental design, Al-Abdulkader met representatives from LWK Engineering and Landscape to oversee the company’s portfolio of ecological design projects and examine opportunities for collaboration in the planning and development of national parks, botanical gardens, and wetland areas.