المملكة: “Vegetation Cover” reviews drought indicators in the Kingdom and ways to cope

The National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification discussed indicators of drought in the Kingdom and ways to prepare to confront it.
This came during a workshop held from January 5 to 6 in Riyadh, under the title “Drought indicators and the method of calculating them.” Enabling technical department employees to use programs (DrinC, Qgis, SNAP) to calculate indicators.

Drought indicators in Saudi Arabia

This workshop comes within the framework of the Centre’s tireless efforts to confront the phenomenon of drought and reduce its effects on the environment and society, and within the initiative to develop the ability to prepare for drought and mitigate its severity.
It also comes in an effort to transfer and develop the skills and knowledge resulting from the project to assess the Kingdom’s vulnerability to severe droughts, and to develop the necessary measures and procedures to mitigate the negative effects of drought.

During its two-day sessions, the workshop addressed the definition of drought, its types, causes, and its relationship to land degradation, and the definition of indicators, the importance of choosing the appropriate indicator, and how to use them.

Development of vegetation sites

In addition to comparing drought indicators, their features, and the data sources used in them, and reviewing the types of data sources to calculate the indicators and how to process each type, in addition to practical training on using programs (DrinC, Qgis, and SNAP).
The center works to develop, protect and control vegetation sites, rehabilitate deteriorated ones around the Kingdom, detect encroachments on them, and combat logging.
This is in addition to supervising and investing in pasture lands, forests and national parks, which enhances sustainable development and contributes to achieving the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative.