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Nature provides us with all our food. Yet, did you know that 90% of the world's food is derived from only 15 species of plants? In total, humans use only about 150 species of plants for food, out of 80,000 potentially edible plants. Because we depend on such a narrow range of plants, our ability to produce and sustain food crops is important for human survival.
Nature also provides us with medicines that save lives and avert suffering. Approximately 1 in 5 prescription drugs in the US come from plants. Yet the pharmaceutical potential hidden within the natural world is largely untapped--only 1% of the plant species in rainforests have been tested for their possible pharmaceutical value, and other ecosystems have been largely unexplored as well. If we continue to lose species and habitats at the current rate, untold numbers of beneficial medicines will be lost forever.
Aside from food and medicine, the natural world also provides us with raw materials for much of our clothing, household goods, and cosmetics. The world's forests produce pulp for paper products and wood for construction of homes and furniture.
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