• EarthRanger’s innovative technology supports AlUla’s commitment to long-term environmental stewardship and sustainable tourism
  • Real-time tracking insights empower rangers to support ecological restoration efforts and enhance wildlife encounters across protected areas

AlUla, Saudi Arabia:  AlUla today announced the adoption of EarthRanger, a global-standard conservation technology, as part of its commitment to preserving the destination’s extraordinary natural heritage. The first in the Middle East to implement this innovative solution, AlUla is strengthening its wildlife monitoring capabilities to support long-term ecological restoration efforts, ensuring its unique landscapes and species thrive for generations to come.

AlUla is renowned for its breathtaking terrain and vast protected nature reserves, which make up more than half of the land, and is home to rare and unique flora and fauna, including Nubian ibex, Arabian oryx and red-necked ostriches. This is complemented by a range of premium small-group nature and wildlife tours and a commitment to light-touch, sustainable tourism, which make AlUla a compelling natural attraction for eco-conscious visitors.

EarthRanger, a no-cost conservation software developed at Ai2 (Allen Institute for AI), a non-profit AI institute, supports AlUla’s growth as an eco-tourism destination, providing wildlife tracking, reporting and monitoring insights. It provides a real-time operational platform uniting multiple conservation and operational data streams, including ranger patrols, vehicle movements, incident reporting and environmental monitoring.

These tools will empower reserve rangers and conservationists to make swifter, smarter and more informed decisions to protect wildlife and ensure safe and enriching experiences for guests. They will also strengthenday-to-day reserve management, supporting long-term ecological restoration and species recovery efforts across AlUla’s protected landscapes.

Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer of Royal Commission for AlUla, said: “More than 7,000 years of human and natural history contribute to AlUla’s allure. It’s our responsibility to safeguard this rich legacy and ensure it prospers for thousands of years to come. By investing in advanced conservation infrastructure like EarthRanger, we are embedding environmental stewardship at the heart of AlUla’s future as a world-leading destination for sustainable tourism.”

EarthRanger is currently deployed across Sharaan National Park, Hegra and Wadi Nakhlah, spanning 12,160 km2 of AlUla’s Protected Area Network. These areas are at the heart of AlUla’s ambitious rewilding projects, working to reintroduce species such as the critically endangered Arabian Leopard back into their natural habitat and safeguarding the destination’s rich biodiversity.

Naif Almalik, Vice President of Wildlife and Natural Heritage at Royal Commission for AlUla, addressed how the technology opens more doors for impactful environmental regeneration, stating: “Conservation and responsible tourism are at the heart of AlUla’s transformation as one of the world’s must-visit landscapes. EarthRanger’s technology will bolster our regeneration and rewilding efforts with invaluable data and facilitate vital nationwide collaboration, helping us preserve our natural heritage and wildlife for local communities and global visitors to experience for generations to come.”    

EarthRanger’s technology will further enhance wildlife encounters for nature enthusiasts from around the world. AlUla’s Wildlife and Natural Heritage team will be able to leverage accumulated data to curate new routes and trails while trackers on game drive vehicles will allow rangers to monitor speed and locations, inviting visitors deeper into AlUla’s stunning landscape without disturbing animals.  

Future plans for EarthRanger’s technology include mapping human-wildlife conflict, integrating camera traps with AlUla’s historic SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) data, and augmenting navigation routes for live tracking and swift incident response.

Jes Lefcourt, Director, EarthRanger, added: "We're honoured to support RCU's work to protect the wildlife and environment of AlUla as part of its long-term vision for conservation and sustainable tourism. By bringing EarthRanger to a new region, RCU is helping set a foundation for how conservation technology can support the protection of the Middle East's rich and diverse biodiversity and the cultural heritage tied to it."

EarthRanger’s sophisticated platform will transform data reporting and analysis, standardising conservation management protocols across Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, it provides a robust foundation for future research and collaborations, with local conservation and education organisations better equipped to aggregate and exchange data on the health, patterns and preservation of Saudi Arabia’s ecosystems.

Saudi Arabia joins 90 countries in implementing EarthRanger’s technology. Aiding AlUla’s broader rewilding agenda, the digital infrastructure has helped facilitate the reintroduction and restoration of some of the most endangered and threatened species across diverse global ecosystems, including the Scimitar-horned Oryx, Mozambique’s once-extinct rhinos, and Giraffes in Angola. The platform’s global network is operational across 900 conservation and protected areas, tracking 14,000 animals in real-time.

AlUla’s commitment to wildlife conservation is closely aligned with its transformation into a boutique heritage and eco-tourism destination. With its renowned heritage sites, world-class hospitality offerings, and expansive natural beauty, AlUla offers a unique travel experience where visitors can explore stunning landscapes while being surrounded by active sustainability efforts.

For further information, please contact:
tourismcomms@rcu.gov.sa or RCU.Destination@hkstrategies.com  

About AlUla:

Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.

The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of over 140 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement.

Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Romans conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE.

In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. AlUla Old Town, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, was selected as one of the World’s Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO.

For more information, please visit: experiencealula.com