Plants are essential for human wellbeing; they provide us with food, medicine, fibres, fuel, building materials and many other products.. Plants also provide essential ecosystem services. For example, plants provide us with oxygen and recycle the carbon dioxide which we exhale. In addition, plants hold great cultural meaning for peoples all over the world. Their individual beauty, as well as the gardens and landscapes in which they grow, provide us with one of life's greatest pleasures.

It is estimated that the global value of nature's services lie between $18 and $61 trillion each year - comparable to the gross economic output of the globe.

Browse our plant uses pages:

• Food
• Medicine
• Fibres
• Fuel
• Building materials
• Plant products
• Ecosystem services