Diversity Conservation of Rangeland and Forest Plant Species in Saudi Arabia

Rangelands in Saudi Arabia extend over more than 175 m.ha. (about 75% of country land area) while woodland forests occupy only 2.7 m.ha. and are limited to the south western highlands. The diversity in landscape has been reflected in terrestrial plant species diversity. Range vegetation as well as forest understory vegetation has long history of grazing by livestock and wildlife herbivores. In recent decades however, major changes have occurred in vegetation composition and diversity because of some human activities of which over-grazing is a major factor. There are some evidences that current wildlife conservation practices are not supported by parallel emphases on vegetation. Failure of some conservation programs conducted by governmental agencies emphasizes the importance of controlled management of protected areas for the conservation of plant diversity. This paper briefly describes natural plant species diversity, introduces plant conservation practices in Saudi Arabian rangelands and forests, and evaluates the successes and failures of these practices to conserve biodiversity at the plant species level.