Nature-based Carbon Capture: Saudi NCVC Workshop Highlights MRV And Blue And Green Pathways

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification organized a workshop titled "Carbon Credits for Nature-Based Solutions: Methodologies, MRV, and Application Pathways for Blue and Green Carbon." The event examined how blue and green carbon projects can support climate goals and contribute to the Kingdom’s net-zero ambitions.

The workshop discussed how carbon credits from nature-based solutions could be structured, verified, and traded. Participants reviewed application pathways for projects that capture carbon in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, aiming to align emerging carbon markets with Saudi Arabia’s wider sustainability and economic objectives.

NCVC stated that expanding vegetation cover and restoring degraded land areas improves soil health and raises carbon storage capacity. These activities also cut emissions linked with land degradation, while supporting biodiversity and helping ecosystems remain stable under climate pressures in a way designed to be long term and sustainable.

The centre explained that the workshop reflects a wider focus on cooperation with local, regional, and international partners. NCVC highlighted collaboration with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the United Nations Development Programme in Saudi Arabia to exchange experience and localise technical knowledge on monitoring land productivity and soil organic carbon stocks, especially in hyper-arid zones.

According to NCVC, discussions also covered modern technologies and monitoring, reporting, and verification systems for nature-based solutions. The workshop examined long-term strategies for carbon capture and storage and assessed how developing robust carbon credit markets could speed progress toward net-zero targets, while supporting sustainable environmental development programmes across Saudi Arabia.

With inputs from SPA