Introduction
A plant is one of the main factors that constitute to our natural environment. If in a given area, trees do not exist in adequate proportion to men, animals, soil, air, and water, the ecological balance gets disturbed and life becomes difficult. So the environment and human life on this earth cannot exist without it.
There is the various importance of plants for human beings. Among them, the main importance of plants is to help human beings and animals to breathe. Through photosynthesis, plants use sunlight & produce sugar from carbon dioxide & water. Sugar is produced to grow. In this process, oxygen gas is produced as a waste product which is taken by human beings for breathing. At that time, a man gives carbon dioxide & this carbon dioxide is taken by plants.
Importance of plants are described below
Food:
Plants cover a great deal of our food deficiency by providing various forms of food like fruits, vegetables, grains, cereals, leaves, seeds, etc. They provide complete food comprising of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. This is the prime importance of plants to humans.
Shelter:
They supply timber for various uses. They give shade & shelter by supplying wood. Plant wood is also used to make various types of furniture. The intensity of Riverbank Erosion can also be reduced because of planting trees along the bank of the river. Thus, tree plantation is very much helpful to make our shelter more sustainable throughout the years.
Clothing:
Plants are the largest providers of textile and fabric material. These materials are eco-friendly, compatible, and less expensive. So they are used to make clothes & bedding materials.
Medicines:
Various types of medicines & vitamins are made from different parts of a tree. For example, Digoxin made from the Digitalis plant is used for congestive heart failure disease.
Economic contribution :
Plants are great contributors to the economic status of a country. Many countries rely on agriculture as one of the main sources of revenue. Trees are responsible for the production of food, cosmetics, drugs, cloth, honey, gum, tannins, essential oils, alkaloids, resins, etc. which are all money yielding. So trees provide a great contribution to economic growth.
1. Trees attract clouds & cause rainfall that stops the desertification process.
2. Plants provide natural products such as cork, amber, alkaloids, resins, gums, latex, tannins, waxes,
pigments, natural dyes, essential oils, and fibers for human beings.
3. They are also helpful for reducing the stress of human beings. A tree simply makes people feel better.
Conclusion:
Thus trees are our great friends & they are useful to us in many ways. Realizing the importance of plants we should plant more & more trees. So, we should bear in mind that if a tree is cut, we should plant a new tree for maintaining the balance in the natural environment.
Author:
Nargis Akter Shapna
Soil and Environmental Sciences
University of Barishal, Bangladesh