RIYADH, 29 July 2006 — The Kingdom is planning to establish 60 more protected areas including two marine reserves, according to Prince Bandar ibn Saud, the new secretary-general of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD).
“These protected areas will help conserve and develop the Kingdom’s wildlife,” he said to Arab News.
Prince Bandar, who was a consultant to the commission for five years, has been appointed its secretary-general by a royal decree. He succeeds Abdul Aziz Abu Zinada, who was the commission’s secretary-general since its inception in 1985.
Prince Bandar said that currently there are 16 protected areas that cover only four percent of the Kingdom’s land area. “Our target is to reach 10 percent in the coming years,” he said, pointing out that the reserves will be set up according to the guidelines of the World Conservation Union.
He added that the commission would set up two more marine reserves next year in Al-Aqaba and Fatul Wajd on the Red Sea in the northwestern part of the Kingdom.
As the new head of the commission, Prince Bandar said, he has plans to intensify the public awareness programs of the NCWCD.
“Natural resources are national assets,” he said. “They have to be conserved and developed for the greater good of the country.”
The prince said that he has plans to train more local youths in wildlife projects and to obtain foreign expertise to give orientation in various fields of wildlife. He would also seek cooperation from foreign nongovernmental organizations.
To curtail the increasing baboon population in southwestern Saudi Arabia, Prince Bandar said the commission has worked out a plan of action to solve the problem.
The prince said there would not be any changes in the regular hunting seasons scheduled by the commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior. He appealed to the public to cooperate with the rangers appointed by the NCWCD by strictly adhering to the government’s hunting regulations. People could only hunt specified species of prey a particular season.
“This was introduced to conserve species during their breeding seasons and also to give ample opportunities for hunters since those species will be available in large numbers during specific seasons,” he said.
Hunters are not allowed to use firearms. Sport hunting entails falcons or hounds. They are also not allowed to hunt in protected areas, the Empty Quarter and places close to urban settlements.
