RIYADH, 21 May 2006 — A study is to be conducted of 16 protected areas in the Kingdom in order to gauge people’s attitudes to wildlife conservation, the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) announced yesterday.
The commission has signed an agreement with the Riyadh-based Center for Information, Research and Studies (CIRS) for the nine-month project. The accord was signed last week by NCWCD Secretary-General Dr. Abdul Aziz Abu Zinada and CIRS Director Saleh Abdullah Al-Shetri in Riyadh.
“The study is designed to evaluate the attitude toward wildlife conservation of people who live near protected areas,” Abu Zinada told Arab News, pointing out that this is the first time such a study has been launched with the private sector cooperation.
The project, funded by the NCWCD, will be carried out by a team of Saudi sociologists including Dr. Saleh Al-Dobleh and Dr. Abdullah Al-Shalaan.
Abu Zinada said that such a study would help the commission to formulate its strategies for organizing public awareness campaigns on wildlife conservation. Common problems faced by the NCWCD from people living near protected areas include poaching, allowing animals to overgraze in protected areas and cutting trees for firewood.
“The commission has deployed a team of trained rangers to monitor these activities and punish the violators,” Abu Zinada said. He added that the commission conducted regular aerial surveillance on any suspicious movements within the protected areas. He noted, however, that the commission wanted to discover people’s real attitudes toward wildlife conservation and development so that it could re-design its approach in implementing more effective conservation programs.
The secretary-general said that the project would initially be carried out around protected areas in the north of the Kingdom, including Harat Al-Harrah, Al-Qunfa and Al-Thubah.
Al-Qunfa is the largest protected area in the Kingdom with a 20,000-square kilometer area, while Mazhat Al-Sayed in Taif is the largest fenced reserve in the Middle East. He said arrangements are also being made to create two more protected marine areas in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf.
Saudi Arabia has decided to observe an annual Wildlife Week to educate the public about the importance of protecting and conserving the nation’s wildlife. The week, which will be observed in March, will include lectures, dialogues, seminars, workshops, exhibitions and TV and radio programs.
The estimated cost of the project will be around SR7 million, which will be generated from the private sector and non-governmental organizations in the Kingdom.
