International Recognition and Global Leadership Crown Saudi Efforts in Protecting Migratory Birds

Riyadh, August 12, 2025, SPA -- In moments of stillness over desert sands or along the Kingdom’s coastal edges, migratory birds traverse the sky like messengers from distant seasons, carrying in their flight the secrets of nature and stories of passage between continents and climates.
   Nothing rivals the sight of flocks cutting through the sky in harmonious formations, guided by the instinct to migrate and an innate navigational wisdom, as if reading the lines of geography without a map.
   The Kingdom is not merely a stopover for birds; it is one of the key gateways in the global migration system. More than 550 bird species have been recorded within its borders, including 280 migratory species whose routes intersect across its land and inland waters.
   These birds travel from Europe and Asia to Africa, and vice versa, pausing in the Kingdom’s territory for food, rest, or temporary breeding. They benefit from the Kingdom’s remarkable environmental diversity — from the cool plains of the north, to the central sand dunes, to the soaring mountains of the south, as well as the mangrove forests and salt flats along its coasts.
   Nature reserves provide safe, resource-rich habitats that migratory birds need during their stopovers, including food, water, and vegetation. This support increases their chances of survival and enables them to continue their seasonal journeys safely.
   Such environments serve as vital lifelines in the global migration network and contribute to maintaining ecological balance both locally and globally.
   As environmental issues have moved beyond the local sphere, the Kingdom has taken a leading role regionally, contributing to the establishment of a task force to combat the illegal hunting of migratory birds in Southwest Asia under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
   Riyadh hosted the task force’s inaugural meeting, affirming the Kingdom’s global commitment to wildlife protection and positioning itself at the forefront of nations that balance development with environmental sustainability.
   These efforts earned international recognition, culminating in the Kingdom receiving the “Champions for Migratory Species” award— a worldwide accolade that adds to its record of environmental achievements and reflects the effectiveness of its reforms, legislation, and awareness initiatives.
   -- SPA