Terrestrial Wildlife Conservation

 Published on 01/07/2025
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The location, size, and topographic variability of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contribute to its diverse and rich biodiversity at all levels, with the presence of many endemic species. Biodiversity faces multiple threats, including habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as unsustainable resource use. These threats caused severe and rapid declines in wild populations of many species at the national level. The National Center for Wildlife (NCW) focuses on the development and conservation of wildlife while promoting sustainable use. Through field surveys and scientific research, NCW develops and implements cutting-edge conservation programs and strategies to achieve a specific goal (e.g., protect endangered species). The Center actively supports community participation to achieve environmental sustainability and maximize social and economic benefits, preserving the Kingdom’s natural heritage.

The National Center for Wildlife’s efforts to conserve terrestrial wildlife

  1. Conduct research on all biodiversity levels.
  2. Develop national conservation strategies and programs.
  3. Identify and address environmental issues.
  4. Build geospatial species databases.
  5. Establish protocols for wildlife programs and safety.
  6. Develop conservation breeding and reintroduction protocols.
  7. Support global species conservation efforts.
  8. Raise public awareness through outreach programs.

Terrestrial Ecosystems

About Terrestrial Ecosystems

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia forms two-thirds of the area of the Arabian Peninsula. The geographical location, in addition to its presence within two Saharo biogeographic realms (the Eurasian region and the Afro-tropical region). This contributed to the variation in climatic conditions that is reflected in a diverse and rich ecosystems in the Kingdom. The Center aims to sustainably manage the Kingdom’s ecosystems by evaluating their status and identifying threats to restore and protect our ecosystems. Examples of ecosystems in the Kingdom include:

  1. Terrestrial
  2. Mountainous
  3. Desert
  4. Sandy
  5. Wetlands
  6. Coastal
  7. Marine
  8. Coral Reefs
  9. Seaweed
  10. Mangrove forests (Al-Shura and Qandal)
    11. Mangrove

    The mission of the terrestrial ecosystem conservation department of the National Center for Wildlife:

    1. Analyze the biodiversity, integrity, and functionality of the Kingdom's ecosystems to determine their current status.
    2. Identify threats to habitats and species, and propose best practices to conserve and ensure their sustainability.
    3. Develop restoration and monitoring programs for degraded habitats in protected areas. This involves assessing the state of ecosystems and identifying threats to natural habitats.
    4. Design long-term monitoring programs to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of conservation programs.
    5. Raise public awareness by activating community initiatives that foster interest in wildlife and ecosystems.

    Wildlife

    Wild Mammals

    1.3 Wild Mammals

    Mammals are considered an important component of ecosystems, as their used as an ecosystem health indicator. A total of 78 mammalian species were recorded in the Kingdom; belonging to 8 orders with 31 species of bats, 20 rodents, 14 carnivores, 4 ungulates, 6 insectivores (shrews and hedgehogs), and one primate, one hyrax, and one hare. In recent years, mammals have been exposed to many forms of threats, such as overhunting, poisoning of predators, urban expansion, and the destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats. Some species have gone extinct from their natural habitats in the wild, such as the Asiatic lion, cheetah and the Saudi gazelle. The Arabian leopard has been evaluated as critically endangered due to habitat degradation and poisoning. NCW is conducting studies to monitor the mammals’ populations in existing and proposed protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas and wetlands.


    Duties of the Department of Terrestrial Mammals:

    1. Conduct field surveys studying mammals’ distribution, abundance, and density.
    2. Evaluate the national status of the mammals of Saudi Arabia.
    3. Develop conservation plans and programs for wild mammals in the Kingdom.
    4. Raise awareness of guidelines and standards for the conservation of mammals.
    5. Conduct an annual census of the ungulates in the center’s Protected Areas and monitor reintroduced animals.
    6. Monitor and analyze the impact of invasive species proposing control and eradication protocols.
    7. Oversee complaints received concerning wild mammals.
    8. Develop Conservation Action Plan to protect endangered species.
    Department of Reptiles, Amphibians and Freshwater Fishes

    2.3 Department of Reptiles, Amphibians and Freshwater Fishes

    The reptiles of Saudi Arabia consist to two main groups: lizards and snakes. So far, a total of 84 species of lizards and 45 snakes, including 9 marine snakes, has been described in the kingdom. The aquatic environments (freshwater and marine environments) host two species of freshwater turtles and five species of marine turtles. Furthermore, the Kingdom is home to seven species of amphibians, four of which are considered endemics to the Arabian Peninsula. Freshwater fish is represented by eight species, four of which are endemic to the kingdom. The Center aims at studying the spatial distribution of reptiles, amphibians and freshwater fish in all regions of the Kingdom, with emphasis on existing and proposed protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas and wetlands, collecting data on their abundance, habitat associations and conservation status.


    Department of Reptiles, Amphibians and Freshwater Fishes aims to:

    1. Conduct field surveys on the reptiles, amphibians, and freshwater fishes in the Kingdom.
    2. Prepare and updating national Red List of reptiles, amphibians and freshwater fish.
    3. Promote scientific research among Saudi Universities, research centers and International experts to document new to science species.
    4. Study the biodiversity in protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas, in collaboration with Saudi’s universities.
    5. Create and build a database documenting all species of reptiles, amphibians, and freshwater fish reflected on a digital spatial maps to facilitate access to information.
    6. Develop a National Action Plan to protect endemic and endangered species.
Birds

3.3 Birds

Birds are considered a vital part of Saudi Arabia’s biodiversity and are key indicators of the ecosystem’s state, as they perform important ecological functions that contributes to environmental balance, such as: seed dispersal, pollination, and biological control. The Kingdom’s location between East Asia, Europe, and Africa, constitutes one of the most important migration flyways in the world. there are 219 breeding species, 280 migratory species, and 51 vagrant species, bringing the total number of bird species in Saudi Arabia to 550. 13 species are semi-endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, and one species is endemic to Saudi Arabia, which is the Asiri Magpie (Pica asirensis). 27 of those species are globally threatened. The mission of the Bird Conservation Department of the National Center for Wildlife is to study the birds of Saudi Arabia across key biodiversity areas, wetlands, migratory flyways, existing and proposed protected areas whilst simultaneously understanding their distribution, and abundance, with the aim to protect and conserve them within the Kingdom.

The mission of the bird conservation department of the National Center for Wildlife:

  1. Conduct field research and monitoring of bird migration flyways across the kingdom.
  2. Update information on the birds of Saudi Arabia, including their conservation status.
  3. Conduct workshops to facilitate information exchange with experts across Saudi Arabia’s universities, national and international research centers.
  4. Study bird communities in protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas, and wetlands in collaboration with key stakeholders.
  5. Develop a national inventory of non-native invasive species and propose mitigation measures.
  6. Deploy new technologies to develop a geo-referenced database for species and their distribution.
  7. Develop and implement national action plans to conserve endemic and threatened species in accordance with international best practices.
Invertebrates

4.3 Terrestrial Invertebrates

Terrestrial invertebrates represent the largest faunal assemblages in terms of diversity and abundance, as they spread in all different habitat types in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and play an important role in maintaining ecological balance. Terrestrial invertebrates are represented by phylum Arthropoda, which includes 96 species of spiders, 35 species of scorpions, 19 species of ticks, more than 6800 species of insects divided into 23 orders. In addition, to different species of Myriapoda and Annelida (such as earthworms and medical leeches), all of which are recorded in Saudi Arabia. Despite this huge diversity, information about invertebrates is still limited and requires extensive studies. The National Center for Wildlife aims to study and monitor the diversity of invertebrates to ensure maintaining their role in ecological balance, and sustain their use, in addition to provide information about the occurrence, spatial distribution, and abundance of species. This is achieved through research carried out at existing and proposed protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas and wetlands in Saudi Arabia, covering the following actions:

  1. Establish a database to record species, and their geographical distribution on digital spatial maps, utilizing modern technologies to facilitate access to information.
  2. Update and maintaining national checklists of invertebrate species in Saudi Arabia and assessing their national status.
  3. Hold workshops with experts in national universities, national and international research centers to learn about new records, widely distributed, and endangered invertebrate species in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Conduct research in cooperation with Saudi universities on Protected Areas, Key Biodiversity Areas, and wetlands.
  5. Update national inventory of non-native invasive species and develop control and eradication protocols.
  6. Develop and implement national action plans to conserve endemic and threatened species in accordance with international best practices.

Research and Propagation Centers

King Khalid Center for Wildlife Research

King Khalid Center for Wildlife Research

The King Khalid Wildlife Research Center is located in Al Thumama near the escarpment of Tuwaiq Mountain, 70 km north of Riyadh. The center was established in 1987 in King Khalid Farm, from which it gained the name. This farm housed more than 600 different wild animals in fences exceeding 600 hectares. Since its inception, the center has been working on the management and development of the wildlife, which constitutes an important part of the Kingdom's natural heritage, and this group of animals was the first nucleus to start the wildlife conservation program. This group included Arabian Oryx, Arabian sand gazelle, and Mountain gazelle in addition to the Neuman’s gazelle. In 2004 a small group of Farasan gazelle were brought to establish a breeding program. In 2005, a group of Ibex was brought and the Ibex propagation nucleus was established in the center.

Breeding programs at the King Khalid Center for Wildlife Research at Al Thumama - conservation breeding of endangered faunal species:

  1. Arabian Sand Gazelle breeding program.
  2. Arabian Mountain Gazelle breeding program.
  3. Neuman’s gazelle breeding program.
  4. Nubian Ibex breeding program.
  5. Arabian Oryx breeding program.
  6. Farasan gazelle breeding program

About King Khalid’s Center

  1. The Center is at the forefront of global conservation efforts specialized in ungulates research and breeding for conservation and reintroduction into natural range at protected areas and national parks.
  2. The center serves as reserve store of endangered antelopes and supports the most genetically diverse populations of endemic mammals in the Arabian Peninsula. The center adopts globally accepted standards for conservation breeding to support rewilding efforts within the Kingdom and in neighboring countries.
  3. The Center adopts excellent record keeping standards, shared on global databases, with regards to the genealogy of all species housed.
  4. The center takes the lead with regards to animal welfare, disease prevention, nutrition, and genetics.
  5. Once of the centres key endeavors is to conduct research on captive bred animals and in protected areas, contributing to improved reintroduction success and wildlife management practice.
  6. Since its establishment, the centre has preserved more than 150,000 biological samples, collected from various regions and archived using globally accepted protocols. These samples are an invaluable source of scientific information for genetic, pathological and other research.
  7. The center maintains a database of all animals in the center since its establishment, which helps in preserving genealogical records for species.
  8. The Center has trained a large number of Saudi nationals, who specialize in wildlife conservation and protected area management, on applied conservation science.
  9. In order to raising environmental awareness and promote community participation, the center co-ordinates events such as visits by schools, universities and other institutions.
  10. The center collaborates with local and international scientific entities, specialized in the field of wildlife conservation, to share experiences and foster scientific research.
  11. The center is currently preparing for new breeding programs for several species of endangered native animals such as the hare, jackal and cheetah.
Prince Saud Al-Faisal Center for Wildlife Research in Taif

Prince Saud Al-Faisal Center for Wildlife Research in Taif

Prince Saud Al-Faisal Center for Wildlife Research was established in 1986, located 30 kilometers east of the city of Taif, at an altitude of 1,400 meters above sea level on an area covering 35 square kilometers (13.5 square miles). The center is fenced off representing a semi-desert Protected Area, dominated by acacia trees and wild herbs. The center is a captivity breeding establishment focusing on rearing and reproduction of endangered vertebrates species serving as a primary source of animals for reintroduction efforts across the Kingdom. Animals bred and reproduced at the center are reintroduced within its historical native range across the kingdom. Furthermore, having these animals of high conservation value in captivity support scientific research on its biology, physiology and ecology.


The Center Objectives:

  1. Captive breeding of endangered species.
  2. Applied scientific research on captive endangered animals.
  3. Monitoring reintroduced endangered animals.
  4. Supplying healthy, genetically diverse animals for reintroduction and enhancement programs.
  5. Raising public awareness and promoting community participation in wildlife conservation.

Active Breeding Programs at the Center:

  1. Asian Houbara.
  2. Arabian Oryx.
  3. Red-necked Ostrich.
  4. Nubian Ibex.
  5. Idimi Gazelle.
  6. Wild hare.
  7. The Arabian Leopard, which was transferred to the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate, in recognition to Council of Ministers Resolution No. 38 dated 1/5/1440 AH (January 7, 2019).
Last Update Date For Page Content : 08/07/2025 11:20 Saudi Arabia Time