The National Center for Wildlife (NCW) will begin a revolutionary exploration program in the Northern Borders region under the Caves Exploration Program, launched in 2022, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The program is part of the center’s mission, aiming at monitoring ecosystems and biodiversity throughout the Kingdom’s diverse landscapes.
With an audacious new goal of fostering the Kingdom’s immense historical and environmental value, the cave exploration program aspires to provide evidence of the biological diversity that has existed in the Kingdom throughout various historical eras.
“The cave ecosystems serve as a historical museum highlighting the evolution of biodiversity throughout the region’s history,” said Dr. Mohammad Ali Qurban, CEO of the NCW.
Qurban stated that distinctive ecosystems like caves stand as an appropriate environment for a wide range of organisms.
This fact was evidenced by the discovery of various skeletons of different types of mammals.
Cheetah Remains
in 2023, the NCW announced the discovery of the remains of 17 hunting cheetahs in the northern region of the Kingdom, a breakthrough that captivated worldwide attention and brought together the most brilliant experts to study and explain the discovery.
“Based on this discovery, NCW is creating a program to reintroduce hunting cheetahs, allowing them to once again play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance,” Qurban added.
He elucidated that experts and researchers have explored some of the world’s rarest bat species and remains of extinct animals during their exploration journeys in the Kingdom’s caves.
In collaboration with international experts, the center could specify the age of the remains, identify the subspecies, determine the genetic makeup, and compare this with the genetic sequence of cheetahs in the center’s shelters and other groups of the animals around the world.
The center is currently working to expand the cave exploration process to rehabilitate and reintroduce the native species of the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has 1,826 documented caves including a massive number of underground passages and tunnels formed by natural processes, which reflects the diverse natural heritage of the Kingdom.
Related Topics:
Saudi Wildlife Center Partners With Ocean Regeneration Initiative
Saudi Wildlife Conservation, Green Transition: Climbing the Charts
Netflix Documentary ‘Horizon’ Shows Glimpses of Saudi Wildlife
