Al-Ghat National Park: First In Middle East To Earn Green Flag Award

Al-Ghat National Park, a verdant oasis located 15 kilometres from Al-Ghat Governorate in the Riyadh region, has recently been honoured with the prestigious 'The Green Flag Award'. This accolade marks a significant milestone as it is the first wild national park in the Middle East to secure this recognition. The award comes as a testament to the extensive efforts and projects aimed at the park's development, enhancement of visitor services, and the expansion of its vegetative cover over recent years.

Spanning an impressive 34.5 square kilometres, Al-Ghat National Park is renowned for its rich biodiversity. The park's clay soil supports a wide variety of trees and wild plants, with more than 200 species identified. Among these, Acacia, Artemisia, Ziziphus, Prosopis, Phoenix dactylifera (date palm), Salsola, and Lycium shawii stand out as particularly important species. The total count of trees and shrubs in the park exceeds 200,000.

The park is not only a haven for plant life but also boasts a plethora of landmarks that draw visitors and picnickers alike. These attractions include caves, rainwater waterfall sites, a deer reserve, rainwater harvesting terraces, afforestation sites, the valley stream, a museum, nurseries, the Tuwaiq Mountain lookout, valleys, and ravines. To enhance the visitor experience further, Al-Ghat National Park offers comprehensive services such as umbrellas, seating areas, restrooms, and a hospitality and auxiliary services building. Facilities are meticulously maintained and cleaned continuously.

Moreover, the park encourages a variety of activities including camping, caravanning, hiking, and annually welcomes beekeepers to place beehives for honey production. The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification played a pivotal role in achieving this award for the Kingdom by meeting the required standards to elevate the park's level and organizing numerous qualifying workshops as part of the nomination process.

The Green Flag Award is an international accolade originating from the United Kingdom that recognises national parks, public gardens, and green spaces worldwide for their high quality and management standards. This award aims to ensure that such spaces meet community needs through proper management and maintenance while promoting best practices in parks and gardens management.

In its commitment to environmental sustainability and development, the centre focuses on protecting vegetation cover sites across the Kingdom. It monitors and rehabilitates degraded areas, combats logging through strict supervision of rangelands, forests, national parks management and investment. These efforts contribute significantly towards achieving the goals set by the Saudi Green Initiative.

As reported by SPA at 15:58 local time (12:58 GMT), this achievement underscores Saudi Arabia's dedication to enhancing its green spaces and ensuring sustainable environmental development within the region.

With inputs from SPA