Riyadh: Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz inaugurated a central nursery and wild seed research and production station in Al-Jouf. This project aims to enhance vegetation cover and sustainability within the reserve.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the project spans 1,600 hectares and includes advanced botanical facilities, such as parent seed fields, seed storage, nurseries, and a wild plant garden, which support local seed and seedling production. The parent seed fields consist of 14 areas with over 400,000 trees and shrubs from more than 30 local species.
The central nursery, covering 60,000 square meters, contains 30 greenhouses with an annual production capacity of 1.5 million seedlings across 15 plant species. Additionally, the project features a botanical garden spanning 12,000 square meters, showcasing over 280 species of trees, shrubs, and perennial grasses.
The central nursery and seed station have also contributed to planting over four million seedlings and dispersing more than 8,000 kilograms of seeds across 10 locations within the reserve, resulting in five million wild plants. This initiative reflects the reserve's commitment to restoring ecosystems and expanding vegetation cover.