The Prince of Wales described the desert landscape of a Saudi Arabian nature reserve as “stunning” as his Middle East visit drew to a close. William was driven through towering red sandstone canyons and past sand dunes at the Sharaan Nature Reserve in AlUla province, learning about conservation plans to reintroduce native animals including the Arabian leopard.
A fleet of more than 20 4x4s took the prince, along with British Embassy staff and Saudi officials, on a tour of the 1,540 square kilometre reserve. William first stopped at Alqaliba Mountain viewpoint, where he met Saudi rangers who briefed him on their conservation efforts. He later asked culture minister Prince Badr why AlUla was special for tourism and nature, and was told of its heritage and natural topography.
Referring to the rangers’ work and the regeneration project, William said: “That they have a vision to do this is really exciting – the tourism will come.” He added: “What I find so exciting is it’s so new, this all started in 2019, it’s going to be so exciting to see all the progress.”
At the Dancing Rocks formation, William was told about the “crown jewel” of the reserve’s conservation plan: the reintroduction of the Arabian leopard into the area by 2035. Flora and fauna have been cultivated in preparation, including the planting of acacia woodlands and the reintroduction of native gazelles and Arabian oryx as a food source for the big cat.
The prince also visited a site where the Royal Commission for AlUla’s habitat restoration team planted 500,000 trees last year, with plans to plant 10 million across the reserve in the next decade. William planted an acacia sapling himself, refusing gloves and saying “I like to get my hands dirty”.
