1st Saudi women wildlife ranger team leads eco-patrol
In recent years, the kingdom has seen vigorous drive to empower women as part of sweeping
Cairo: Women wildlife rangers at the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve have made a ground-breaking environmental mission in Saudi Arabia.
The reserve Development Authority announced that its 5,000th patrol was overseen by Saudi Arabia’s first female wildlife ranger unit.
The Saudi news agency SPA quoted Andrew Zaloumis, the CEO of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve Development Authority, as saying that the female team of environmental inspectors explores new horizons in the reserve with each new patrol.
Women constitute 33% of the reserve’s 183 inspectors, according to SPA.
Standing behind this success is a female team leading the work at the reserve from senior management to a socio-economic development unit, who works with local women to empower them as leaders in environmental conservation, said Zaloumis.
The female team at the reserve was inducted in 2022, paving the way for women in the kingdom to pursue a career in conservation.
Saudi women make up more than 43% of the overall holders of middle and top administrative posts, according to a recent report, amid a vigorous drive to empower females in the kingdom.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has ramped up efforts to empower women in different walks of life and appoint them in leading positions as part of massive changes in the kingdom.
Two female ambassadors were among 11 Saudi envoys, who took the oath of office before King Salman bin Abdulaziz last year. The appointments rose to six the number of Saudi women ambassadors.
In 2018, the kingdom allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on female driving.
In another move enhancing women’s empowerment, Saudi Arabia allowed women to travel without a male guard’s approval and to apply for a passport, easing long-time controls on them.