| The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Saudi Arabia is situated on the Arabian Peninsula, in South-Western Asia. It is the countryat the meeting point of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. Nearest bodies of water: Persian Gulf to the East, Red Sea to the West. | |||||||||||||||
| National websites | http://www.arabianwildlife.com/vol1.2/houb.htm
(http://www.arab.net/saudi/geography/sa_geogintro.html) http://www.arabianwildlife.com/vol2.1/birsau.htm http://www.arabianwildlife.com/vol2.2/resrv.htm http://www.saudiembassy.net/publications/may/campaigns.html http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/saudi_0998_bgn.html http://www.arab.net/saudi/geography/sa_geogintro.html |
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| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | Diplomatic
representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York Diplomatic representation
from the US:
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Government Orgs.: Saudi Arabia. Ministry of Planning, Riyadh, SA; Saudi Arabia. Meteorology and Environmental Protection Administration, Riyadh, SA; National \ Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD); The Ministry of Agriculture and Water (MAW) is responsible for the implementation of economic plans and programs for agriculture, water development, desalination, irrigation, conservation of scarce water, fisheries, animal resources and locust control. The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) functions as the principal desalination complex. | |||||||||||||||
| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | Saudi Arabia's natural resources include oral reefs, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, and copper. | |||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Saudi
Arabia has many environmental concerns, suc h as desertifiction and depletion
of underground water, oils spills and the pollution caused by them, destablilization
of coastlines, destructions of reefs and mangroves, industrial pollution
and waste effecting cities, land, and marie life, agricultural runoff,
and urban sewage problems. Saudi Arabia is also home to between two
and three million migratory birds, whose habitats are jeopardized
by human activity.
Animals at special
risk because of dangerous human activities, such as war, include Socotra
cormorants, green and hawksbill turtles, and dugongs (a kind of sea cow
similar to the manatee).
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| Statistics | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Land area | 1,960,582 million Sq. km [Terrain: Primarily desert with rugged mountains in the southwest-- mostly a barren and harsh appearance with salt flats, gravel plains and sand dunes but few lakes or permanent streams. Climate: Arid, harsh, dry desert, with great extremes of temperature in the interior; humidity and temperature are both high along the coast.] | http://www.arab.net/saudi/geography/sa_geogintro.html | ||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | about 20,000 Sq. km | http://www.theodora.com/wfb/saudi_arabia_geography.html | ||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | artificially-created wetland along a 30-55km stretch of waste water drainage | http://www.chelt.ac.uk/cwis/pubs/landiss/vol13/page3.htm | ||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 12 nm (terrestrial sea) | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/sa.html#geo | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 20 million | http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/saudi_0998_bgn.html | ||||||||||||||
| Population Density | 7.6 inabitants per Sq. km | http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/saudi_0998_bgn.html | ||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels | About 500,000 ha | http://www.arabianwildlife.com/vol2.2/resrv.htm | ||||||||||||||
| Amount of land area protected | A number of national parks have been established such as Asir National Park, an area of 450,000 hectares, in the Asir Highlands; the Al-Hasa National Park, an area of 4,500 hectares; and the Sa'ad National Park, east of Riyadh along the highway to Dammam, an area of 300 hectares. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/saudi/natur.htm#land | ||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | Harrat al-Harrah First National Park, Jabal al-Jawy; Jabal Aza and Northern Hail Managed and Prtected Area, Abu-Ali, Al-Ja'ir Special NAture Reserve, Himaal-Figrah, Madinat Yanbu al-Sinaiya, Hawat Bani Tamin-Special Natyure Reserve (90,000 ha), Taif Escarpment, Wadi Turata and Jeba Ibrahim, Malaki Dan Jisan, Wadi Jainvah | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/saudi/natur.htm#land
http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cgi-bin/padb.p http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cgi-bin/pa_un97.p http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cgi-bin/mp_countryquery.p http://www.arabianwildlife.com/vol2.2/sauwhe.htm See Also: List of Major Protected Areas |
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| Endemic Species |
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http://www.arabianwildlife.com/vol2.2/resrv.htm
http://www.saudiembassy.net/publications/magazine-spring-98/bloom.htm |
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| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World
Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal
World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Plants http://www.arabianwildlife.com/vol2.2/resrv.htm http://www.wcmc.org.uk/species/animals/table3.html |
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| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | ||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix I | CITES-listed Species Database | |||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix II | CITES-listed Species Database | |||||||||||||||
| Legislation | ||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) was signed by Saudi Arabia on 07 December 1984, and ratified on 24 April 1996. Saudi Arabia also acceded to the International Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Drought and/or Desertification Particularly in Africa on 25 June 1997. | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | 12/03/1996 | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | Not a signee | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | Not a signee | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | 1/03/91 | |||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | Not a signee | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | The
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) was signed by Saudi Arabia on
07 December 1984, and ratified on 24 April 1996.
Saudi Arabia signed the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal on 22 March 1989 and confirmed and ratified it on 07 March 1990. party to - Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection. Saudi Arabia acceded to the International Convention to
Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing
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| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | At present, there is a total of 7,312 fishing boats, and 2,069 fishermen, in addition to the 11,772 expatriate laborers working on these boats. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/saudi/natur.htm#oceans | ||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | 1% of land is forest... Most of this forest territory is protected by the government. Saudi Arabia does not export many wood products, but imports papers, timer, roundwood, and other tree by-products from other countries. | http://www.theodora.com/wfb/saudi_arabia_geography.html
http://www.fao.org/infosylva/VR/is_country.jsp?country_code=194&lang=en |
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| Ecotourism | Ecotourism is not yet a major attribute of Saudi Arabia, but it might be in the future. Pilot Planning Studies are underway to design nuture-oriented tourist attractions in Saudi Arabia. | http://www.chelt.ac.uk/cwis/pubs/landiss/vol13/page3.htm
http://www.arabianwildlife.com/vol2.2/sau.htm |
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| Trade in wildlife products | Sale of coral products, which results in damage of coral reefs | N/A | ||||||||||||||
| Hunting | Hunting of foxes, baboons, monkeys because they are considered pests; desert lion hunted to extinction 150 years ago. | http://www.arab.net/arabview/articles/towelli1.html | ||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | Use of petrolium and natural gas for energy; copper, iron ore, and gold for human cultural activities, like making machinery and jewlry. | http://www.theodora.com/wfb/saudi_arabia_geography.html | ||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | Auto emissions, industrial pollution, and war activities have caused damage the air and thus to the health of humans, other animals, and plants... | N/A | ||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | The Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs (MOMRA) is designing plans to improve the quality of water. Much water was polluted during the bombings of the Gulf War. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/saudi/social.htm#settle | ||||||||||||||
| Development activities | The Saudi government is spending millions of dollars to expand water and sewer ways to reach millions of meters long. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/saudi/social.htm#settle | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | -New plants
with potential impact on the environment are obligated to conduct studies
on environmental impact assessment in adherence with Agenda 21.
- The Forest and Rangeland Regulations, issued by Royal Decree Number M/22 dated 3/5/1398 H. - The Executive Regulations
for the Forest and Rangeland Regulations Number 11/3081 dated 23/5/1398
- Regulations on 2/7/1399 H, to control violations and institute penalties on violators of the Forest and Rangeland Regulations, issued by MAW and the Ministry of the Interior; - Royal Order Number 1182/8 dated 5/7/1405 H, issued to provide for the conservation of forest land and the prevention of any person laying claim to such land; and - Royal Order Number 4/3620/M dated 5/7/1407 H, issued to regulate exploitation of sand and pebbles. - Program for the study of emissions and their impact on ambient air: - The Committee for Coordination of Chlorofluorocarbons Materials has formulated a program dealing with matters related to such materials within the framework of the Montreal Protocol. - The Montreal Protocol
and its Amendments
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http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/saudi/eco.htm#coop
http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/saudi/natur.htm#forests |
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| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | MAW has
banned fishing in some waters, has protection laws for shrimp hatching,
and has developed ati-toxic waste laws to protect marine habitats.
National Commission for Wildlife Conservation & Development (NCWCD) - Conservation status of gazelles in Saudi Arabia; Thoules et al. (1989) - Management planning for protected areas; ed. Fisher & Wood. 1988 - The proposed Hima Jibal al-Humrah: report submitted by Hajj Research Centre. 1987 - Rub-al-Khali reconnaissance survey. 1988 - Socio-economic influences on renewable resource conservation, development & use... 1989 - A system plan for
wildlife conservation & sustainable rural development...(2v) 1990
- Establishment of
a marine habitat & wildlife sanctuary for the Gulf region. (near Jubail):
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http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/saudi/natur.htm#oceans
http://www.arabianwildlife.com/homefrm.html http://www.un.org/esa/earthsummit/saudi-cp.htm#chap9 http://www.ex.ac.uk/ags/ktlsa.htm#WCD |
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| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | Saudi
Arabia has helped recoved the Arabian oryx Oryx leucoryx, through captive
breeding, and continues to breed ostrich chicks also in captivity.
At the Houbara Bustard captive breeding programme at Taif, Saudi Arabia, 485 eggs have been laid by 73 macqueenii females, with more than 240 chicks reared. More than 100 birds will be released into Mahazat as-Sayd. King Khalid Wildlife
Research Center
National Wildlife Research
Center
Riyadh Zoological Gardens
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http://ser.org/irvine/animal.html#anchor1252473
http://www.kt.rim.or.jp/~birdinfo/birdlife/update.html#News from the Middle East http://www.osme.org/sand202/newsinfo.html? http://www.cbsg.org/regasw.htm |
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Page compiled by M-L. S. Gong as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA