Deprecated Environments: Exploring Knowledge Cultivation in Some of Saudi Arabia’s Habitat Restoration and Climate Mitigation Projects

Abstract

This dissertation challenges misconceptions surrounding arid environments, spotlighting their biodiversity and adaptive communities. While global environmental pressures threaten these ecosystems, local wisdom remains underutilised due to imported, globalised narratives of development. Focusing on Saudi Arabia, the study critiques the favouring of Western-driven restoration approaches and advocates for regionally and culturally attuned strategies. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research combines literature contextualisation and interviews with active local actors to provide an in-depth perspective of the local Saudi experience– which I argue is underrepresented in English literature and could provide great value if it was better situated within global research–to mend this gap in the current bodies of knowledge. Chapters 1 through 4 navigate through complex themes and narrative shifts, interrelated challenges, and assess regional restoration efforts. Chapter 5 introduces novel insights from mangrove forest restoration projects and unveils unexplored dimensions of locality, decision-making, and inclusion. By celebrating local insights and advocating for context/regional-specific methodologies, this dissertation advocates for holistic ecological restoration and climate resilience paradigms while suggesting new areas for explorations in the kingdom.