Citation: Ansari, A.A.; Siddiqui, Z.H.; Alatawi, F.A.; Alharbi, B.M.; Alotaibi, A.S. An Assessment of Biodiversity in Tabuk Region of Saudi Arabia: A Comprehensive Review. Sustainability 2022, 14, 10564. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710564 Academic Editors: Wei Wang and Nengwen Xiao Received: 29 May 2022 Accepted: 10 August 2022 Published: 24 August 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Review An Assessment of Biodiversity in Tabuk Region of Saudi Arabia: A Comprehensive Review Abid Ali Ansari 1 , Zahid Hameed Siddiqui 1,2, *, Fuad A. Alatawi 1 , Basmah M. Alharbi 1,2 and Amenah S. Alotaibi 1,2 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia 2 Genomic and Biotechnology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia * Correspondence: zsiddiqui@ut.edu.sa or siddiquizh84@gmail.com Abstract: Biodiversity refers to all of the all types of species in one geographical region or ecosystem. It consists of plants, animals, bacteria, and other life forms. As an estimate, around 1.7 million species are on record globally and approximately 15,000–18,000 new species are added each year. Global climate change is accelerating species extinction due to habitat destruction. Further, various abiotic and biotic environmental factors are limiting the pattern of biodiversity in a geographical region. A change in species category from endangered to extinction occurs due to their physiological, morphological, and life history pattern, which limits them to a specific niche. Biodiversity is very important for energy production and flow, bioremediation, and biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems and vice versa. It is further required for human existence in the form of food, fibers, medicines, and biological control. Therefore, consistent monitoring, assessment, and conservation of ecological habitats and diversity of flora and fauna of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems is the need of the hour. In this article, we are presenting an assessment based upon the literature survey on the biodiversity of Tabuk region of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A comprehensive study on the biodiversity of plants, animals and microorganisms of the Tabuk region (Tabuk city, Tayma, Haql, Sharma, Duba, Al Wajh and Umluj, Al Zetah, Al Beda’a, etc.) are included in this review. This study will be a landmark as it is conducted at the inception of NEOM project in Tabuk region. It will help the authorities to enhance the native green cover, decrease desertification, regenerate biodiversity in natural environments, and advance the quality of life, to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and VISION 2030. However, studies and investigations on Tabuk biodiversity are still limited and need further exploration. Recently, a joint work between King Salman Royal Natural Reserve (KSRNR) and Department of Biology of University of Tabuk is underway to monitor the baseline data of flora and fauna of this region. Keywords: biodiversity; Tabuk; conservation; environmental factors; flora & fauna; VISION 2030 1. Introduction The Northwest region of Saudi Arabia is administratively part of the Tabuk Province and isthe current hotspot for agricultural activities in the region. Traditionally, this region is known as Midyan (Midian or Madyan) and has an area of almost 135,000-km 2 [1]. It includes diverse terrain such as deserts, valleys, sprawling mountains, coasts of the Red Sea, and natural springs. Long shoreline of Tabuk Province is one of the most important geographical characteristics that contributes about 38% of the western shoreline of Saudi Arabia. It covers coastal cities, such as Haql, Sharma, Duba, Al Wajh and Umluj, with pristine beaches of clear waters (Figure 1). Sustainability 2022, 14, 10564. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710564 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability