2nd May, 2025

Kew REACH this week announced a major partnership with Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC), supporting its ambitious ecological restoration programme. 

Kew REACH, which was created as a joint venture with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew), will work alongside NCVC to strengthen and accelerate the Kingdom’s National Greening Program (NGP) by providing world-leading expertise in plant science, seed conservation, and sustainable ecosystem restoration. 

The joint venture with the RBG Kew offers Kew REACH unique access to over 250 years of botanical discovery and conservation, giving unmatched depth in understanding how ecosystems recover and thrive. Saudi Arabia’s bold national commitment provides a unique opportunity for innovation at a landscape scale, offering lessons not only for the Middle East but for arid and semi-arid regions worldwide. 

Saudi Arabia currently holds the Presidency of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and has made national commitments to reversing land degradation through its Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) and its National Greening Programme (NGP). The collaboration with Kew REACH will help reinforce the Kingdom’s role in driving forward science-led solutions to land degradation, desertification and climate resilience. 

The NGP has already planted over 135 million trees and restored more than 200,000 hectares of land. With a long-term vision to plant 10 billion trees and rehabilitate 40 million hectares, the programme represents one of the most significant dryland restoration efforts globally, complementing major initiatives underway in China, Africa and elsewhere. 

Mike Maunder, Executive Chair Kew REACH: " We are delighted to embark on this journey with NCVC, a partnership that represents a significant opportunity to leverage our joint expertise and contribute to the Kingdom's ambitious environmental goals. We look forward to working with our Saudi partners in building the foundations and scientific expertise necessary for the Kingdom’s unique flora and flora to flourish for generations to come” 

Dr. Khaled bin Abdullah Al-Abdulkader, CEO of NCVC: “This collaboration will leverage Kew’s distinguished botanical expertise to restore degraded lands and promote environmental sustainability in line with the Saudi Green Initiative and the National Greening Program” 

Richard Deverell, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: “This marks the start of a powerful alignment between world-leading science and one of the most ambitious restoration programs globally. At Kew, we are committed to applying our deep botanical knowledge and research expertise to tackle the urgent challenges of land degradation and climate change. Working with NCVC, we are proud to support Saudi Arabia’s bold vision for a greener, more resilient future.” 

For more information, please contact Charlie Roper at Kew REACH Charlie@kewreach.com  

Notes to Editors: 

Kew Science is the driving force behind RBG Kew’s mission to understand and protect plants and fungi, for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth. Over 550 Kew science staff work with partners in more than 100 countries worldwide to halt biodiversity loss, uncover secrets of the natural world, and to conserve and restore the extraordinary diversity of plants and fungi. Among Kew’s priorities is cultivating new scientific and commercial partnerships in the UK and globally – the largest of which is the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, which has to date stored more than 2.4 billion seeds of over 40,000 wild species of plants. More info at www.kew.org/science.  

Kew REACH is a joint venture between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) and Greensphere Capital LLP’s Gaia Sciences Innovation (GSI) fund. Through its ties with RBG Kew and the broader GSI platform, Kew REACH provides trusted scientific credentials, transparency, data, and accountability at scale. It advises on, and helps implement, a wide range of outcomes for clients wanting to restore, enhance and create urban, agricultural, forestry and conservation landscapes, offering the full stack of advisory-to-delivery services. 

The National Centre for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC), based in Riyadh, is the government body leading Saudi Arabia’s national efforts to protect ecosystems, restore land and combat desertification. NCVC manages the delivery of the National Greening Program (NGP) which is a key pillar of the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI).