Panthera and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) have entered into a historic partnership to recover the Critically Endangered Arabian leopard and leopard populations around the globe. RCU has committed $20 million to leopard conservation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and around the world over the next decade. This will be achieved through several initiatives, including:
- Scientific research;
- Captive breeding programs;
- International collaborations;
- Community-based conservation projects; and
- Restoring habitat and prey populations within nature reserves.
Read the press release in English or in Arabic.
The Arabian Leopard Initiatives (ALI) that will be at the heart of the agreement aim to deliver a sensitive and responsible transformation of the AlUla region and its unique constellation of heritage, nature and art, as well as other key leopard sites in Saudi Arabia.
© Jacques tournel
“The signing of the agreement is a major milestone in our shared ambitions to reintroduce the Arabian leopard population in the region and join global partners to support the preservation of these wild cat populations worldwide. It is our duty to protect, conserve and build the population numbers to preserve the species from becoming a footnote of history.”
HH Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al-Saud
Minister of Culture and Governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU)
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