There is a common misconception that Saudi Arabia is just sand and sun.

While the desert makes up most of the country, that is not ALL there is to it

The United Nation’s Biodiversity Convention (which is a global ongoing process to protect and sustainably use the resources natural available on this planet) is going on in Egypt at the moment and Saudi Arabia is one of the 196 parties on it.

Saudi Arabia is currently taking part in several major negotiations on how to protect its nature – from its coral reefs, forests, and, of course, even the desert.

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In fact, the Red Sea coral reefs are among the richest marine environments in the world

They are home to over 1280 kinds of fish (including 44 sharks!), several sea turtles, mollusks, and even DUGONGS

Its one of the only two seas where these sea mammals can be found

But heavy pollution and increasing temperatures are proving to be devastating for the sea.

“About 150 kilometers of Jeddah’s coastline has become useless for sea creatures. If the level of pollution is not controlled or treated then the Kingdom will soon have to import fish and shrimps to meet its demands,” warns Dr. Ahmad Ashour from the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment Protection (PMEP).

And Saudi Arabia even has a some forests (not a lot but, hey they still count)

The Rawdat Khuraim, for instance is a forest just an hour’s drive from Riyadh. It used to be open to public but because of pollution and local communities using it for firewood – the majority of it has recently been converted to a “wildlife park” that is only accessible to researchers to study the plants and animals that are unique to this region.

And, of course, there is the desert

And while the desert is an important habitat with its unique wildlife and plants and has been an important element in the lives of so many people from regional tribes and communities – over-desertification can become a problem and is something the Wildlife Authority is working on dealing with.

This means that the dry areas become even dries and lose its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. (A common cause for this is increasing temperatures due to climate change.)

The Saudi delegate to the conference is currently discussing issues and challenges that impact these habitats and are working on creating policies that help conserve these habitats.

Still, its not JUST all on the authorities

Regular folks can also play their part in doing what they can to prevent further environmental depletion.

An important discussion going on at the conference discussed the serious role the meat industry is playing in destroying forests (long story short: lots of pastures are needed to grow the gains the animals eat as well as to give them room for grazing; and these pastures are created by cutting down trees, er, entire forests).

Since meat makes up such a major part of the diets in so many parts of the world (including Saudi Arabia) a good start for people would be to reduce their intake. Here are some vegan restaurants you can try that have GREAT food.