Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve Marks 50,000th Ranger Patrol on World Ranger Day

On World Ranger Day, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve's rangers have completed their 50,000th patrol since operations began across the 24,500 sq km marine and terrestrial reserve.

 Marking the milestone, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve CEO Andrew Zaloumis said, “Successful conservation puts communities at its heart. That’s why our rangers come from within the reserve’s borders. They have a generational connection to this land. What we have done is give that knowledge a formal role in Saudi Arabia's conservation story."

 In four years, the ranger corps has grown from 27 rangers to 231 and includes the first female ranger corps in the Middle East. At a time when globally women make up just 11% of rangers, at Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve 34% of the team are women. Together, the men and women have logged 50,000 patrols and 400,000 hours of active conservation work, covering 3,980,000 km on foot and by vehicle. Every patrol is a pivotal step towards rebalancing the reserve’s 15 fragile ecosystems and conserving its natural and cultural heritage.

 Since the launch of the reserve's specialist marine patrol boats in January 2025, dedicated sea rangers have covered almost 55,000 km at sea, equivalent to patrolling the Kingdom's entire Red Sea coastline 30 times, preventing illegal fishing and monitoring the reserve’s coastal ecosystems. Seven of the 30 sea rangers are women. After completing a dedicated swimming course, these women graduated to become the first female sea rangers in the Middle East.

 Saudi Arabia has committed to the global goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030, Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by nearly 200 countries at COP15. As the Kingdom moves towards this goal, it is estimated that the number of rangers in the Kingdom will need to grow by 46%. Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve is committed to developing and empowering the next generation of conservation leaders.