MUNICH — The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced that non-Saudi owners and herders of camels and livestock will be granted a grace period of up to seven months, starting from Saturday, Feb. 18, to return their live camels and livestock to their respective countries. These measures were taken as part of the ministry’s efforts to preserve the vegetation cover, in accordance with the Environment Law and the National Strategy for Pastures in order to reduce the risk of overgrazing and the deterioration of natural pastures. This is also aimed to achieve the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative to preserve the environment and enhance the utilization of vital resources in Saudi Arabia. The ministry warned that punitive measures will be taken against those non-Saudi owners and herders who failed to comply with the directive to return their livestock and camels after the deadline expires at the end of August this year. The measures include canceling all entry permits, canceling the calculation of the reproduction rate, in addition to applying the mechanism for exporting live camels and livestock. The ministry called on the owners and herders of camels and livestock owned by non-Saudis to take advantage of the deadline set for the return of their livestock and camels before the deadline expires, by registering on the Naama electronic platform via the following link: https://naama.sa/Services/Details?EncryptedKey=cjK7Q2Q4Qqw%3D. It is noteworthy that the ministry has taken major steps to preserve vegetation cover and biodiversity, through the establishment of five environmental centers and an environment fund. This is in addition to enacting regulations and systems that support the protection of vegetation cover from early grazing, overgrazing, and logging, in addition to contributing to the development of vegetation cover by sowing seeds and planting wild trees and shrubs in a bid to achieve the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030.