Riyadh, July 31st, 2025: Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve proudly announces the launch of the Middle East’s first female sea ranger corps, breaking new ground in conservation. Announced on World Ranger Day, the new marine rangers are part of the Reserve’s 246-strong ranger team, of which 34% are women. They patrol the Reserve’s 170-kilometer Red Sea coastline, alongside their male counterparts and the Border Guard.

Ruqayyah Awadh AlBalawi has worked as a ranger at Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve for three years, joining the Reserve as part of the first ranger intake and is now a qualified sea ranger. “I have discovered a whole new world under water. I’m proud to be part of the first group of women to learn how to swim at Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve. I dream of the day when a woman serves as the skipper of the Reserve’s marine patrol boat.”

“Since the Reserve’s inception, inclusion of women in the workplace has been a priority, in line with Vision 2030,” explains Reserve CEO, Andrew Zaloumis. ‘’The conservation industry globally is known for gender imbalance, which is even more exacerbated in the marine sector. When we recruited the first ranger corps in 2021, we encouraged women to apply. Today, women make up 34% of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve’s ranger force, just 1% shy of the Vision 2030 target for women in the workplace. This is well above the global average of female rangers of 11%.

“Women bring essential skills to conservation, and as Saudi Arabia progresses towards the global goal of protecting 30% of earth’s land and sea by 2030, we are committed to building the skilled, inclusive ranger teams needed to power conservation in the Kingdom.”

The Reserve’s rangers are pivotal to the achievement of its mission to “Rewild Arabia’’ and the Kingdom-wide goals of the Saudi Green Initiative. Responsible for safeguarding the natural and cultural assets of the Reserve – both on land and at sea – while allowing tourists and visitors to safely experience the Reserve, their duties include ecological monitoring to inform conservation strategies, supporting animal reintroductions, managing wildlife populations, and overseeing development projects to ensure compliance with environmental and social impact assessments.

Specialized training is ongoing with the opportunity to build an impactful career in the rapidly expanding conservation industry that directly contributes to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. As a result, jobs are in demand with over 35,000 applications received to date to be a Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve ranger.

Since 2022, the Reserve’s rangers have undertaken almost 35,000 patrols. Female rangers undertake the same duties as their male counterparts, working in mixed patrol teams across the Reserve’s 24,500km² terrestrial section. However, until now, there were no female sea rangers, largely due to limited access to swimming instruction and career opportunities in the marine sector. In July 2024, the Reserve launched a swimming and marine training program under the direction of Senior Regional Manager Dominique du Toit, an experienced South African terrestrial and marine conservationist. One year later, the first seven fully trained female sea rangers have joined marine patrols of the Reserve’s 3,856 km² marine section.

Dominique explains, “The training program highlights the rangers’ dedication and discipline to learn new skills. This has been, and remains, an incredible accomplishment and these rangers can be proud of the challenge they have overcome.”

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve’s 3,856km² marine area covers 1.8% of the Kingdom’s territorial waters and is home to 64% of the Kingdom’s coral species, 22% of its fish species, as well as Hawksbill and Green turtle populations, Spinner dolphin, Dugong, Whale shark and critical gray mangrove ecosystems. The Reserve’s marine rangers patrol two custom-designed boats ensuring the conservation and protection of this vital seascape.

 About Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve

One of eight Royal Reserves, the 24,500 km² Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve stretches from the lava plains of the Harrats to the deep Red Sea in the west, connecting NEOM, Red Sea Global, and AlUla. It is home to PIF’s Wadi Al Disah project and Red Sea Global’s Destination AMAALA.

The Reserve encompasses 15 distinct ecosystems. At just 1% of the Kingdom’s terrestrial area and 1.8% of its marine area, it boasts over 50% of the Kingdom’s species, making it one of the most biodiverse protected areas in the Middle East.

The Reserve is committed to restoring and conserving the natural and cultural environment. This includes the reintroduction of 23 historically occurring native species, 11 of which have already been reintroduced including the Arabian oryx, Persian Onager, Sand gazelle and Mountain gazelle, as part of a wide-ranging rewilding program.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve is one of eight royal reserves established by royal decree and overseen by the Royal Reserves Council chaired by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Reserve’s programme is integrated with Saudi Arabia’s wider sustainability and conservation programs, including the Saudi Green and Middle East Green Initiatives.