Saudi Arabia plans to plant 10 billion trees inside the Kingdom by 2060 under the Saudi Green Initiative, launched in March 2021. The interim targets are 450 million trees by 2030, plus 100 million mangroves along the coasts — and NEOM, the giga-project in the country’s northwest, runs its own regreening program as part of the national effort. This guide explains the targets, what regreening actually involves, and what residents will notice on the ground.
Why Saudi Arabia is planting trees
Anyone who has spent a Saudi summer outdoors understands the logic. Dense tree cover cools streets, traps dust and makes walking, cycling and public space usable in cities designed around cars. Saudi Arabia’s urban centers were built fast and greened late, and frequent dust storms make ground cover a matter of air quality, not just aesthetics.
The Saudi Green Initiative treats trees as infrastructure. The program bundles national tree-planting targets, coastal mangrove rehabilitation, protected-area expansion and emissions-reduction goals into one framework under Vision 2030 — with regreening projects across the Kingdom’s giga-projects and cities, NEOM among them.
The national targets, in one table
| Target | Number | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Trees planted in Saudi Arabia | 10 billion | 2060 |
| Interim tree-planting goal | 450 million | 2030 |
| Mangrove rehabilitation | 100 million trees | 2030 |
| Emissions reduction | 278 million tons per year | 2030 |
| Land and sea under protection | 30% of territory | 2030 |
These are published Saudi Green Initiative targets, not results — the program publishes progress against them, and treating them as commitments rather than achievements is the honest reading. The 2030 milestones are the ones that will show up in city streetscapes this decade.
What NEOM’s regreening involves
NEOM occupies the Tabuk region in Saudi Arabia’s northwest, and its regreening program plants native species suited to that environment rather than importing water-hungry landscaping. Native acacias, ghaf and other arid-zone trees tolerate the climate with far less irrigation, which is the difference between a program that survives and one that evaporates in year three.
The regreening work sits inside NEOM’s wider environmental program, which runs alongside its construction and energy projects. For the national initiative, the northwest matters for a practical reason: rehabilitation at this scale needs land, coordinated planning and long-term water management, and NEOM provides all three in one development zone.
Why cities matter as much as wilderness
The tree count makes headlines, but the target most residents will feel first is urban. Municipal programs across the Kingdom are expanding shaded walkways, pocket parks and street trees — the changes that turn a five-minute walk from an ordeal into a routine. Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam all carry urban greening programs under the same national umbrella.
Mangroves work on a different front. Along the Red Sea coast, mangrove planting protects shorelines, supports fisheries and stores carbon at rates few land trees match. The 100-million-mangrove goal is one of the largest coastal rehabilitation programs in the region.
What residents will notice by 2026
Three visible changes: more shade on new streets and public spaces, expanded parks in major cities, and planting strips along highways that double as dust barriers. None of this replaces the 10-billion-tree ambition — it is the early, local edge of it.
For newcomers planning their move, greening is one of several liveability upgrades underway alongside new metro lines, event districts and cultural attractions (Life in Saudi Arabia for expats: the complete guide). The scale of parallel projects is easier to grasp once you see how the pieces connect — from the national green targets to the PIF-backed developments reshaping the economy (Saudi Arabia launches HUMAIN, a PIF-backed AI company).
FAQ
How many trees will Saudi Arabia plant?
The Saudi Green Initiative targets 10 billion trees inside the Kingdom by 2060, with an interim goal of 450 million trees by 2030.
When did the Saudi Green Initiative start?
March 2021, as part of Vision 2030’s environmental agenda alongside emissions-reduction and protected-area targets.
How many mangroves will Saudi Arabia plant by 2030?
100 million, planted along the Red Sea and Gulf coasts as part of the coastal rehabilitation program.
What is NEOM’s regreening program?
NEOM’s own planting and native-vegetation program in the Tabuk region, run as part of the national Saudi Green Initiative targets.
How much land will Saudi Arabia protect by 2030?
The target is 30% of the Kingdom’s land and marine areas under protection by 2030.
What will residents notice from the tree-planting drive?
Shaded walkways, new parks and dust-mitigation planting in cities — the local, visible edge of the national 10-billion-tree target.
One last thing
The mangrove target may prove more consequential than the headline tree number. Mangroves store carbon at rates most land trees cannot match, shelter juvenile fish, and buffer coasts from storms — and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast is one of the world’s natural strongholds for them.
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Owais Qarni is the co-founder and author at Saudi Scoop. A Dreamer, Explorer, and Optimist! His work focuses on creating informative and engaging content, offering fresh perspectives on topics relevant to both local and global audiences.