In the presence of Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman Bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) and Dr. Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Abdulqader, CEO of the NCVC, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Chinese company Elion (Elion Saudi Co.). Plato K T Yip and Dr. Abdulaziz Albabtain represented Elion. The accord calls for the utilization of the company's extensive expertise in the field of afforestation and desert reclamation in China, and apply its innovative technologies in developing vegetation cover in the Kingdom to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative. The agreement aims to forge strategic cooperation for achieving common objectives and strengthening relations, focusing on benefiting from Elion experience in Kubuqi Desert in the field of combating desertification, rehabilitation of degraded lands, and stabilizing shifting sands in the Kingdom in accordance with its regulations and legislations. The common cooperation between both sides involves a number of important topics including establishment and development of specialized nurseries, as well as collaboration in remote sensing and analysis services through satellites for agricultural projects in the Kingdom and monitoring their greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, both sides have agreed on certain projects utilizing Elion's knowledge and applications in conformity with the Kingdom's environmental conditions and natural resources including usage of the local plants in environmental afforestation. Signing of the agreement comes as part of a series of contracts and agreements concluded by NCVC within its efforts to enhance cooperation and integration with many government and private entities, NGOs and international consulting firms like Elion Group to attract quality expertise, international successful experiences, and the outstanding technologies and applications in the field of cultivation. Moreover, these agreements aim to enhance effective local engagement, unify and regulate national efforts to implement initiatives aimed at developing vegetation cover in the Kingdom and rehabilitating its sites which include forests, grasslands and national parks, as well as increasing green spaces and improving their quality to combat desertification, drought and sand encroachment, and preserve natural resources. China's Elion Group, headquartered in Kubuqi Desert, is a leading company in afforestation and reclaiming desert and drylands. It has a remarkable UN-recognized record of successful pioneer experiences in agriculture and combating desertification in Kubuqi Desert in China. It also has technology systems and applications, including artificial intelligence, blockchain and clean energy to develop agriculture. It is worth mentioning that the NCVC works to develop, protect and monitor vegetation sites as well as rehabilitate the degraded ones and detect infringements thereon, combat deforestation. This is in addition to supervision on management of grasslands, regulating grazing besides preserving and investing in forests and national parks to promote sustainable development that improves the quality of life. — SPA
