# Saudi Green Initiative

> Saudi Arabia's national drive to plant 10 billion trees and rehabilitate 40 million hectares of degraded land

Source: https://treerm.org/org/saudi-green-initiative · Updated 2026-11-08 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Government program
- Scope: National
- Headquarters: Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia
- Founded: 2021
- Website: https://www.greeninitiatives.gov.sa
- Countries where they plant: Saudi Arabia
- Activity types: Afforestation (primary), Education & advocacy, Research & monitoring
- Trees on record: 159,000,000 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

The Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) was launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2021 as the Kingdom's umbrella environmental program. Its land targets are to plant 10 billion trees, rehabilitate about 40 million hectares of degraded land (an area the ministry later re-estimated at up to 74.8 million hectares in its feasibility study) and protect 30% of land and sea by 2030, with an interim goal of more than 600 million trees by 2030. Planting and rehabilitation are implemented mainly by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) under the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, which also runs an annual National Greening Season (launched 2024) that mobilises government, private and nonprofit partners and volunteers. By March 2026 the government reported more than 159 million trees planted and the first million hectares restored; these are the Kingdom's own figures relayed through the Saudi Press Agency, and independent analysts have questioned long-term tree survival and the treated-wastewater volumes the plan requires.

## Programs

- **10 Billion Trees / National Afforestation Program** — Afforestation (2021–present): Afforestation and land rehabilitation led by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification with partner entities, planting native species across the Kingdom's regions and royal reserves. https://www.greeninitiatives.gov.sa/about-sgi/sgi-targets/plant-10-billion-trees/
- **National Greening Season** — Education & advocacy (2024–present): Annual autumn-winter campaign (first held 2024) to expand vegetation cover, promote native species and encourage volunteering and partnerships across sectors.

## Metrics

> Note: All figures are Saudi government announcements (NCVC / Ministry of Environment via the Saudi Press Agency) relayed by Arab News; the official SGI site (greeninitiatives.gov.sa) and sgi.gov.sa could not be reached during research, so no independent verification exists for the tree or hectare counts. The land target is stated as 40 million hectares in most government material but the ministry's feasibility study revised the rehabilitated area to 74.8 million hectares. A Climate Fact Checks review (13 Jan 2026) cites a 2022 peer-reviewed estimate of about 1.53 billion cubic metres of treated wastewater per year needed for irrigation and quotes ecologists doubting sapling survival outside oases; no survival rate has been published.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Hectares restored | 2024 | 111,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2575508) Arab News, 16 Oct 2024, citing NCVC via SPA: 111,000 hectares of degraded land rehabilitated, 4.3 million ha under protection, 121 partners |
| Hectares restored | 2025 | 500,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2620326) Arab News, 26 Oct 2025 (via SPA): 'more than 500,000 hectares' of land rehabilitated under SGI to date |
| Hectares restored | 2026 | 1,000,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2637868) Arab News, 27 Mar 2026 (via SPA): Saudi Arabia 'restores first million hectares of degraded land' under SGI; restoration had reached 250,000 ha by 2024; target 2.5 million ha by 2030 |
| Trees planted | 2024 | 95,000,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2575508) Arab News, 16 Oct 2024, citing NCVC via SPA: 'over 95 million trees since the launch of the Saudi Green Initiative in 2021' |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 151,000,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2620326) Arab News, 26 Oct 2025 (via SPA), National Greening Season 2025 launch: 'more than 151 million trees' planted under SGI to date |
| Trees planted | 2026 | 159,000,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2637868) Arab News, 27 Mar 2026, citing the Saudi Press Agency and Minister of Environment Abdulrahman Al-Fadley: 'more than 159 million trees' planted under SGI since 2021 |

Confidence labels: self-reported means the organization published the figure itself; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM worked it out, and the note says how.

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