Role of Plants in Restoring Degraded Ecosystems to Improve Biodiversity in Alula Region—Saudi Arabia

AlUla region is situated between 26° 37′ N and 37° 55′ E in the North-West of Saudi Arabia, spreading over an area of 29,000 km2, with an oasis at its narrow tail. Most of the area (8490 km2) comprises the desert landscape and the implausible Rocky Mountains. AlUla was a trading city on the ancient frankincense route that connected India and the Gulf to the West and Europe. Climatically, the area falls in the hyper-arid region, with 22 mm of annual rainfall. Topography ranges include mountain, valley, and desert pockets with 611–1020 m above sea level elevation ranges. At the moment, this region is targeted for extensive development to enhance tourism. This chapter explores existing literature on the history, paleobotany, climate, landforms, and associated flora and vegetation of AlUla. It sustains an ancient history and vegetation. However, the recent vision of AlUla Development initiatives and prospects include enhancing ecotourism and restoring the degraded lands and habitats by proposing some native landscaping-oriented perennial plants of this ancient region in the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. However, before advancing into developmental plans, there is a need to thoroughly examine existing anthropogenic activities that caused environmental degradation and resulted in the loss of habitats and the associated biological diversity. The present investigation also highlights the need to document the existing plant wealth of this ancient historical region. Based on existing literature on the topic, it can be concluded that the region is rich in cultural history and requires special attention by the planners and policy-makers to take into account all the scientific principles and practices to preserve and conserve its natural resources, including natural habitats with their flora and fauna, for maintaining the natural integrity of the region. Besides, there is a need to restore and manage the degraded ecosystems by planting the diverse plant species, proposed in this article.