Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Harrat Uwayrid has been added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves as the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program on Wednesday.

Harrat Uwayrid is the home to critically endangered Arabian leopards and Arabian gazelles, and about 50,000 villagers who depend heavily on pastoral activities and farming for income, the UNESCO said.

Harrat Uwayrid Reserve is considered now the second site in Saudi Arabia to join the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program after Farasan Islands, which joined the list in 2021.

The reserve is the largest nature reserve in AlUla Governorate among five other reserves, as it contains 19 species of endangered animals, and 43 species of birds, including 8 species of prey, and the reserve also contains 55 species of rare plants.