المملكة: Memorandum of understanding between KAUST and Wildlife to support biodiversity

The National Center for Wildlife Development signed a memorandum of understanding with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to establish a regulatory framework for cooperation in the research and environmental fields.
This comes to achieve their common goals of protecting ecosystems, preserving their biodiversity, and enhancing community awareness.

Protecting wildlife

This came on the sidelines of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16), held in Riyadh during the period (2-13 December).
The National Center for Wildlife Development was represented by its CEO, Dr. Muhammad Ali Qurban, and the university was represented by its president, Dr. Edward Byrne.
The two parties will cooperate in conducting scientific research related to the protection of wildlife and terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Genetic diversity

This is in addition to developing projects concerned with genetic diversity and creating databases that support future research.
The memorandum also includes cooperation in launching community awareness campaigns and volunteer programs to enhance the importance of environmental sustainability, and implementing monitoring programs to evaluate the health of ecosystems in accordance with international standards.
The two parties also seek to unify their efforts to highlight the Kingdom’s role in the field of environmental development at the international level.
Dr. Muhammad Qurban stated that the memorandum reflects the commitment of the National Center for Wildlife Development to strengthen partnerships with leading academic institutions such as King Abdullah University of Science and Technology to support national efforts in protecting ecosystems and enriching biodiversity.

Achieving environmental development

He pointed out that this cooperation reflects the center’s vision to achieve sustainable environmental development, in line with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, and enhances the Kingdom’s position as a global leader in this field.
Since its establishment in 2019, the National Center for Wildlife Development has been working to implement comprehensive plans and initiatives to address environmental challenges and protect natural systems.
It uses local and international expertise to achieve environmental sustainability and maximize social and economic benefits, which contributes to achieving the Kingdom’s strategic goals in this field.