Imam Turki Royal Reserve Use of Drones to Achieve a 66% Reduction in Carbon Emissions

The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority has reported that the integration of drones has resulted in a 66% decrease in carbon emissions and a substantial rise in vegetation cover, which reached 8.5% from 1.4% in 2018. Spanning 91,500 square kilometers, the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve is the Kingdom's second-largest royal reserve. It pioneers a groundbreaking environmental protection and monitoring project, integrating 40 drones to bolster surveillance of illegal activities like logging and overgrazing. This has notably improved the operational effectiveness of environmental security and protection teams, while also contributing to training environmental observers and rangers. According to the authority, advanced technologies are adopted with the aim of decreasing carbon emissions and supporting the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative by phasing out fossil fuel-powered four-wheel-drive vehicles, and replacing them with drones. This helps improve environment al protection and access to rugged terrain, and facilitates the distribution of seeds across vast areas. Source: Saudi Press Agency