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Using Systematic Conservation Planning to Identify Priorities for Management In King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, Saudi Arabia: A Multi-Objective Zoning Plan

Using Systematic Conservation Planning to Identify Priorities for Management In King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, Saudi Arabia: A Multi-Objective Zoning Plan

King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Royal Reserve is a mega reserve (KSRNR) declared to promote resource conservation and sustainable use. The reserve is huge, the designated area has about 460,000 people either living in or around it. A reserve with such a large extent and a large number of interacting populations is expected to have a lot of encroachments and land use conflicts. Protected area zoning is a management strategy used to define and delimit land units for specific purposes, such as critical conservation areas and recreation areas. KSRNR aims to achieve a multi-objective management approach for management. The area is a mega reserve of more than 130,000 Km2. KSRNR also contains a lot of cultural and heritage sites targeted by the tourism industry but are still in their infancy. Growth of such an industry is imminent and planning in KSRNR should be a step ahead to ensure the endurance and sustainability of this valuable resource. Thus, tourism is regulated by KSRNR.

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