Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has prepared an inventory of about 229 rare and perennial trees, some of them up to 1,400 years old, in the governorates and towns in various regions of Asir. The ministry has counted and classified these trees with the aim of working out a plan to protect them from encroachments, transgressions and wrong practices, according to a report recently published by the ministry, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The ministry indicated that the inventory and classification showed that there are about 163 perennial trees, owned by government entities and private individuals that needed protection, while about 66 trees do not need protection, with the accessibility to some of them is difficult. The ministry pointed out that the types of trees included tamarind, sycamore, banyan, nabk and walnut, and these species are scattered in the governorates of Rijal Alma, Al-Namas, Dhahran Al-Janoub, Al-Harajah, Tanumah, Mahayil as well as in the towns of Al-Hubail, Haswa, Rawam, Al-Ghayl, Al-Farasha, Al-Jawa, Sabt Bani Bishr, Al-Shaaf, Bashout and Al-Shifa.

The southern Asir region is well known for the abundance of rare and perennial trees in its valleys and coastal regions, where the branches and offices of the ministry work to protect and preserve them from the wrong practices. The ministry is also enhancing awareness among various segments of the society in preserving these rare species of trees. The ministry had approved several regulations to prosecute and punish those transgressing vegetation.