The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has successfully implemented a community engagement initiative focused on environmental stewardship.

 

Launched in February 2023, the Nature Champions programme has fostered a cohort of residents actively contributing to the conservation of AlUla County's distinctive natural heritage.

 

The initiative culminated in a graduation ceremony of 30 Nature Champions on 16 December.

 

Aligned with RCU’s sustainability goals, the Saudi Green Initiative, and Vision 2030, the Nature Champions programme fosters environmental awareness and responsibility within communities surrounding AlUla’s six expansive nature reserves.

 

Dr Stephen Browne, VP of Wildlife and Natural Heritage, RCU, said: “Environmental outreach is building awareness and a deeper understanding of nature in communities in or near the six vast nature reserves that RCU is establishing – Sharaan, Al Gharameel, Wadi Nakhlah, Harrat Alzabin, Harrat Uwayrid and Harrat Khaybar. By strengthening the bonds between RCU and the community, this programme is unlocking AlUla’s potential as an extraordinary, sustainable location for residents and visitors.”

 

Over the course of two years, the programme has realised three main outcomes: developing a knowledgeable group of residents known as Nature Champions that led community activities to better understand and protect AlUla’s nature reserves; in communities in or near the reserves, developing awareness of the value of the reserves and the need to protect them, including reducing pressure from grazing and hunting; and improving knowledge of the reserves and their value among teachers and students in those same communities.

 

The Champions’ activities included workshops on topics such as wild plants, farming and water usage; household waste audits; community trips to the nature reserves and the RCU nursery; and school sessions to explain conservation in friendly ways such as a marbles game.

 

The programme reached over 3,500 community members and inspired residents to adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives, from composting and recycling to reducing plastic consumption.

 

Jameel Salem Albalawi, a Nature Champion from Waqeer, described the community's response: “They feel very excited when they see what we’re doing. It’s such a new idea to have a programme just for people who care about environmental awareness.”

 

Eman Mohammed Odah AlZabni, a Nature Champion from Ketifah, shared how the programme inspired her family to adopt sustainable practices and even create a small business: “My sister has a farm with plants but no animals, while my mother has livestock but no plants. To avoid waste and help both of them, I suggested that we collect the animal manure from my mother's farm and use it to create compost for my sister's farm. We started filling old feed bags with the manure and using it as fertiliser. This worked so well that our neighbours noticed and began asking to buy the compost from us! My mother used to burn the manure, but now she has a small business selling it to our neighbours who are also keen to improve their soil.”

 

Programme partners assisting RCU include the Oman-based tour guide Husaak Adventures and the Australia-based workshop organiser Econnect Communication. -TradeArabia News Service