26 Saudi National Parks Added to Global Database

Saudi Arabia has formally recorded 26 national parks in the National Register of Protected Areas and updated their data in the World Database on Protected Areas, with a combined area exceeding 5,115 square kilometres.

The 26 parks are managed under the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, as part of the national protected areas system and the environmental targets set under the Saudi Green Initiative. Before registration, the parks were aligned with international protected area criteria to standardize national reference data and ensure they are managed in line with global standards.

The move is part of a wider update to Saudi Arabia's protected areas dataset in the global database during 2025–2026, which included the addition and verification of sites and brought total national designations to more than 100 protected areas.

Why it matters

For residents and nature lovers, the registration gives these parks internationally recognized status and reflects the Kingdom's growing focus on conservation, restoring vegetation cover and combating desertification. It also strengthens the reference data used to manage and protect the country's natural sites.

Visitors should note that entry to national parks and nature reserves may require permits and paid permissions. Published example fees (not specific to the newly recorded parks) include a 440 SAR permit to enter a protected area or national park, a 550 SAR annual grazing permit for up to 50 head of livestock, a 1,100 SAR agricultural activity permit, and a 2,200 SAR investment permit. Other listed fees cover activities such as licensed sale of wild animals and marine and terrestrial hunting licences.

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