RIYADH: NEOM, the sustainable regional development in northwest Saudi Arabia, launched a re-greening initiative on Sunday to plant 100 million native trees, shrubs, and grasses by 2030. As part of its program to rehabilitate at least 1.5 million hectares of land, NEOM’s initiative will see the return of 100 million native trees, shrubs and grasses by 2030 to aid the restoration of degraded land and repair of wildlife habitats. The initiative was announced at the International Exhibition and Forum for Afforestation Technologies being held in Riyadh, and will be carried out in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification. The CEO of NEOM, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, said: “Protecting the natural landscape and ensuring the coexistence of human and natural habitats is integral to NEOM’s vision.” He continued: “By launching the NEOM Re-greening Initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, we are well underway to becoming a leading contributor to the conservation and preservation of one of the worlds outstanding natural environments.” The CEO of the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification, Dr. Khaled Alabulqader, said the new initiative launched by NEOM “will have a great impact in supporting efforts aimed at protecting the environment, promoting nature, and ensuring its sustainability, and directly contributing to the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative.” NEOM is participating in the International Exhibition and Forum for Afforestation Technologies as the main sponsor, as part of its efforts to provide sustainable solutions to the most urgent global environmental challenges and aid the Kingdom in delivering its 10-billion-tree-planting initiative, Saudi Green Initiative.