First Saudi protected area listed on IUCN Green List

The Saudi National Center for Wildlife (NCW) proudly announces that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has added the Ibex Protected Area to its exclusive Green List. The IUCN Green List recognizes protected and conserved areas globally that excel across governance, planning and design, effective management, and achieving positive conservations outcomes. The Ibex Protected Area, managed by NCW, is the first in the Kingdom to meet all the required criteria and achieve the highest standard, joining an exclusive list of less than 80 Protected Areas out of over 300,000 protected areas worldwide.

The inclusion of the Ibex Protected Area in the Green List is a global endorsement of the effectiveness of its management and conservation efforts. It highlights the success in protecting its rich natural resources, enhancing habitats, and promoting biodiversity. The recognition also affirms the area’s compliance with the Green List’s key criteria, including effective governance, transparency, scientific expertise and local knowledge-based management, and proactive planning to address environmental challenges.

“The Ibex Protected Area’s Green List status not only elevates its international standing but also advances our broader conservation and sustainable development initiatives. We are actively working with our partners in the wildlife sector to bring all our national protected areas up to this l standard,” said Dr. Mohammed Qurban, CEO of the National Center for Wildlife.

The National Center for Wildlife currently manages 11 protected areas across Saudi Arabia. Since 2017, NCW has supported the expansion of Saudi Arabia’s marine protected areas from 3.6 percent to 6.5 percent and its terrestrial protected areas from 4.5 percent to 18.1 percent.

The listing of Saudi Arabia’s first Protected Area represents a major milestone in the Kingdom’s commitment to ensure its protected areas are managed to the highest possible international standards.

Situated in the Tuwaiq mountain range in central Saudi Arabia and covering 1,840.9 km², the Ibex Protected Area is a rugged plateau that supports a variety of flora and fauna. Established as a protected area in 1988 at the request of local communities to safeguard a small herd of ibex, a threatened species of Ibex . As a result of NCW’s dedicated efforts, the ibex population, which has existed in the area for milennia, has significantly rebounded.

The Ibex Protected Area also provides a habitat for other vulnerable species including mountain, rock hyraxes, foxes, birds, and reptiles. The area is home to diverse vegetation such as acacia trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses.

NCW collaborates closely with local communities, promoting sustainable development, ecotourism, scientific research opportunities, and preserving natural heritage, contributing to the prosperity of the surrounding region and the Kingdom as a whole.