A $500 billion rewilding effort in Saudi Arabia, which is helping to regreen the desert and reintroduce native species, recently hit a milestone. In 2022, the sanctuary welcomed a group of animals including ibex, sand gazelles, mountain gazelles, and the Arabian oryx, an antelope that hadn't walked NEOM's sands for over a century. This group of animals had 60 babies during the first breeding season, as Arabian Business reported.

The reserve soon plans to build on its wildlife rewilding program by reintroducing predators such as the caracal, Arabian lynx, and cheetah. NEOM is also adding 100 million native plants to the landscape and has already put two million trees in the ground. Plus, it is looking to replenish the reserve's marine habitats — NEOM is engaging in sea turtle monitoring and satellite tagging, dugong surveys, aerial surveys of large animals using drones, and coral and seagrass habitat restoration.

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