The Saudi Arabian Mining Company MA'ADEN announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification to strengthen joint cooperation to plant trees and develop the Kingdom's natural vegetation. The signing, which took place on the sidelines of the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Technologies held in Riyadh 29-31 May 2022, was witnessed by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadley and MA'ADEN's CEO Robert Wilt. CEO of the National Center for Vegetation Development Khalid Al-Abdulqadir and MA'ADEN Vice President-Corporate Industrial Security & HSE Hamad AlRashidi signed the agreement. Wilt said: "The MoU underlines our firm commitment to investing in environmental sustainability and enhancing the breadth and quality of vegetation across the Kingdom, in line with Saudi Arabia's ambitious Green initiative. We are taking further steps to be the ESG role model in the Kingdom, with the goal of ensuring a promising future for our communities". Under the terms of the memorandum, the two parties will discuss opportunities for collaboration and integration of efforts in order to achieve common goals for the development and rehabilitation of vegetation, as well as to support biodiversity by planting 20 million trees by 2040 and irrigating them with renewable water sources. A project team will be formed within this framework to prepare the scope of work, examine targeted afforestation sites across the Kingdom, and conduct research into renewable water sources. This collaboration is an extension of MA'ADEN's continued efforts in the sector of sustainability and environmental protection. The company has planted more than 3 million trees in an area larger than nine million cubic meters as part of the "Wadi Al Mara" initiative over the last five years. MA'ADEN is making significant progress in achieving its ambitious growth targets, strengthening its position as a Saudi mining champion with a global presence, while contributing to Saudi Vision 2030 by engaging several ESG goals. — SPA
