Sakaka became the centre of a new wildlife conservation drive as the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority and the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation on biodiversity protection, houbara restoration and scientific management of natural habitats.The agreement, signed on June 11, sets a framework for programmes to restore and reintroduce houbara birds, protect breeding and wintering grounds, and develop safe flight corridors that can support stable wild populations. It also covers joint monitoring, field surveys and research designed to improve data on habitat quality, migration patterns and post-release survival.
The pact adds weight to Saudi Arabia’s broader move towards large-scale ecosystem recovery, with royal reserves, specialised conservation bodies and wildlife research centres increasingly being brought into a common framework. The houbara, a desert bird long associated with Arabia’s cultural heritage, has become a flagship species for these efforts because of its vulnerability to overhunting, habitat degradation and disturbance along migratory routes.
The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is the country’s largest natural reserve, covering about 130,700 square kilometres across the north and north-west. Its landscape extends across parts of Al-Jouf, Tabuk, Hail and the Northern Borders, and includes varied desert, volcanic and plateau habitats. The reserve encompasses the legacy protected areas of Al-Khunfah, Tubaiq and Harrat Al-Harrah, making it an important refuge for migratory birds and desert-adapted wildlife.
The reserve is home to hundreds of plant and animal species, including wild and grazing plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. Its scale gives conservation authorities an opportunity to link habitat protection with scientific zoning, patrols, grazing management and community engagement. For species such as the Asian houbara, the availability of quiet breeding areas, secure stopover zones and suitable foraging grounds can determine whether releases translate into viable wild populations.
The Asian houbara, scientifically known as Chlamydotis macqueenii, is listed as vulnerable and is found across parts of Central Asia, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. Some populations migrate over long distances, while others are resident or partially migratory. The bird is adapted to arid environments, feeding on plant material and invertebrates, and nesting in shallow scrapes on open ground, where eggs and chicks remain exposed to predators and disturbance.
Saudi conservation programmes for the houbara date back several decades, with breeding and reintroduction work beginning in the late 1980s. Earlier releases helped establish a foundation for more structured restoration efforts, but specialists have increasingly emphasised that breeding alone is not enough. Successful recovery depends on genetic management, satellite tracking, habitat protection, enforcement against illegal hunting and long-term monitoring after release.
The new MoU reflects that shift from single-site release projects towards integrated landscape conservation. Safe flight corridors are particularly significant because houbara populations rely on connected habitats across seasonal ranges. Fragmented protection can leave birds vulnerable once they move outside release zones, while coordinated management can improve survival across migration and dispersal routes.
The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation brings specialised expertise in houbara breeding, field research and population recovery. Its role alongside the King Salman reserve authority is expected to strengthen technical planning, including surveys to identify suitable habitats, evaluation of release sites, monitoring of natural breeding and analysis of threats affecting survival.
The agreement also fits within Saudi Arabia’s pledge to protect 30 per cent of its land and sea by 2030. Conservation authorities have framed royal reserves as central to that target, not only as protected spaces but as working landscapes where habitat rehabilitation, ecotourism, local participation and scientific research can be combined.
The MoU follows wider activity across the royal reserve network, including rewilding programmes involving native species and greater use of tracking technology to assess animal movement. Conservation teams have been using field surveys, remote cameras, satellite tags and ecological mapping to guide restoration decisions rather than relying only on captive-breeding output.
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Saudi Arabia