Welcome to the fifth and final installment of the Native Plants for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet series. We’ve covered a lot of ground over the past few months. This series has explored the effect of native plants on chronic and mental health, infectious diseases, and medicine. For the finale, I will wrap up by highlighting native plants within the greater context of creating sustainable environments. Good health doesn’t just refer to our physical bodies. Good health includes our environment and our relationship to the planet we share with each other.
By: Helene Wierzbicki
Sustainability is deeply linked to human health because the health of the environment directly impacts the well-being of individuals and communities. Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It involves a balanced approach to environmental stewardship, economic development, and social well-being, ensuring that resources are used responsibly and equitably.
Biodiversity is vital for the maintenance of life as we know it and is the foundation of sustainable ecosystems that support all life on Earth. Biodiversity is the variety of life forms on Earth, including different species, genetic variations within species, and the diversity of ecosystems they inhabit. Native plants in particular are most suitable for maintaining equilibrium in their environment. Native plants are therefore responsible for essential ecological services such as the purification of air and water, erosion control, and soil fertility, just to name a few ecological services. These services, which stem from the complex interactions among diverse species create environmental, economic, cultural, and spiritual benefits as a result of complex interactions among species (Yale, 2020).
Native plants help mitigate the effects of climate change, a critical aspect of global sustainability efforts, by reducing carbon emissions and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Centuries of ecosystem destruction has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere–about 450 to 500 gigatons–which exceeds emissions from fossil fuel burning (Green, 2018). Native plants are responsible for partial climate stabilization by absorbing carbon dioxide and moderate extreme temperatures by providing shade and cooling through transpiration (Center of Sustainable Systems, 2023). Forests act as carbon sinks–locations that absorb more carbon than they release. Long-lived trees like oaks or maples, for example, are particularly efficient at absorbing carbon (Audubon, 2024). On average, one mature tree can absorb approximately 48 pounds (about 21.8 kilograms) of carbon dioxide per year. Over its lifetime, a single tree can sequester about 1 ton of carbon dioxide (USDA Treefacts, 2024). Native habitat restoration could provide one-third of the mitigation needed to stabilize global warming by 2030 (Griscom et al. 2017). This approach includes activities like native habitat restoration, reforestation, and improved land management, which increase carbon storage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Native plants provide food, clean water, shelter, and medicine, which are essential services for sustainable human communities and economies. About 300 million people worldwide depend on forests for survival, including indigenous and tribal communities (United Nations, 2020). Through their ecosystem services–including stability of crop fields and carbon sequestration–native plants and biodiversity help us harvest food, natural fibers, and timber (Center for Sustainable Systems, 2023). In the medicine installment of this series, we explored the vast contribution native plants have made to ancient and modern pharmaceuticals. Additionally, billions of people earn their livelihood through farming, fishing, and forestry, with over half of the global GDP relying on natural resources (Mrema, 2021). We rely on the natural benefits of native plants to keep us safe, fed, and healthy.
By addressing problems that harm biodiversity, we promote environmental justice and create more sustainable and equitable communities.. Habitat restoration and the creation of greenspaces stand to benefit communities of color most, as these communities have fewer protections from climate change and pollution. Since many of these communities start off poorer compared to white counterparts, they do not have the resources needed to build up resistance or respond to climate events (Smith, 2021). Climate justice and equitable access is an important piece to creating a healthy relationship with our communities and world.
Biodiversity is threatened by unsustainable human enterprises, which jeopardize not only our natural world but also the sustainability of human societies that rely on these ecosystems. Overexploitation of resources–deforestation, water extraction, and hunting–severely impacts sustainability efforts (Yale, 2020). Species are trying to survive warming climates with the simultaneous loss of habitat. If biodiversity loss continues at this rate, global economies can expect a $14 trillion loss in natural resources, which will disproportionately affect marginalized communities (Mrema, 2021).
What measures can we take to protect native plants? In 2015, United Nations leaders gathered to consolidate their concerns and goals into an action plan. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was built on a foundation of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to create a healthier planet (United Nations, 2015). One of these goals focuses specifically on protecting and restoring the Earth’s ecosystems. Goal 15 strives to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss” (United Nations, 2023). To achieve these goals, efforts include placing endangered habits into protected restoration areas, conserving ecosystem functions, and monitoring the activities of large corporations (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2022). On an Individual level, we can participate in preserving biodiversity by using native plants in backyards, conserving water, and supporting local farms (Yale, 2020).
To truly foster human health and well-being, we must embrace sustainability as a guiding principle in our relationship with the environment. The native plant and natural landscape movement exemplifies this by promoting the restoration of ecosystems that support not only biodiversity but also the health of our communities. By integrating native plants into our landscapes, we strengthen the resilience of our ecosystems, reduce our carbon footprint, and ensure that future generations inherit a world where both people and the planet can thrive. Sustainability is not just an environmental goal—it is a commitment to safeguarding the health and prosperity of all life on Earth.
Thank you for coming along with me during this series. As we conclude, remember that sustainability and biodiversity are not just buzzwords; they are the pathway to a healthier planet and a brighter future for all. I have learned so much about the importance of biodiversity, native plants, and keeping ourselves and our planet healthy. I hope you have, too. I think the biggest takeaway for me is understanding that we as individuals can do our part to mitigate climate change through cultivating native gardens and greenspaces. We can put our money and voices toward legislation that supports restoring natural resources and habitats. Most importantly, we must fall to despair and continue working hard to preserve the world we share with each other.
About the Series
Native Plants for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet series will explore the importance of strengthening biodiversity resilience by protecting and restoring native plants and natural landscapes. My goal in writing this blog series is to channel biodiversity through a healthcare lens and examine its relationship with human chronic, acute, and mental health. If more people understand how entwined biodiversity is with human health, perhaps policy-makers will take biodiversity resilience more seriously. Native landscapes are vital for improving health outcomes within communities. This series is made possible though the ANHE Environmental Health Nurse Fellowship Program.
The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) is dedicated to connecting nursing and environmental health. They focus on educating nurses, advancing research, and influencing policies to promote healthier people and environments. ANHE recognizes the crucial role nurses play in addressing environmental health issues within communities and at policy levels, aiming to equip them with the necessary knowledge and leadership skills for this challenge.
About the Author
Helene Wierzbicki is a community-psychiatric nurse from Portland, OR. She works with the Washington County ACT team through the nonprofit LifeWorks NW. Helene is a fellow with the 2024 cohort of Allied Nurses for Healthy Environments (AHNE). For her AHNE project, Helene is contributing to Wild Ones through a blog series titled “Native Plants: Healthy Planet & Healthy People.”
References
Audubon Society. (2024). Why native plants matter. Retrieved from https://www.audubon.org/content/why-native-plants-matter
Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan. (2023). Biodiversity factsheet (Pub. No. CSS09-08). Retrieved from https://css.umich.edu/publications/factsheets/sustainability-indicators/biodiversity-factsheet
Convention on Biological Diversity. (2022, December). COP15: Final text of Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework. Retrieved from https://www.cbd.int/article/cop15-final-text-kunming-montreal-gbf-221222
Green, C. (2018, May 21). Why biodiversity is essential for sustainable development. United Nations. Retrieved from https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/biodiversity-essential-sustainable-development/
Griscom, B., Adams, J., Ellis, P. W., & Fargione, J. (2017, October). Natural climate solutions. Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 114(44). Retrieved from https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1710465114
Mrema, E. M. (2021, May). Biodiversity is key to building a sustainable future for all. United Nations, UN Chronicle. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/biodiversity-key-building-sustainable-future-all
Smith, K. A. (2021, June). How communities of color are hurt most by climate change. Forbes Advisor. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/communities-of-color-and-climate-change/
United Nations. (2020). Sustainable use of biodiversity. Retrieved from https://www.cbd.int/undb/media/factsheets/undb-factsheet-sustainable-en.pdf
United Nations. (2023, August 27). Fast facts – What is biodiversity? Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2023/08/explainer-what-is-biodiversity/
Yale Sustainability. (2020, August 17). Yale experts explain biodiversity. Yale Office of Sustainability. Retrieved from https://sustainability.yale.edu/explainers/yale-experts-explain-biodiversity
Yale Sustainability. (2020, October 1). 6 ways to preserve biodiversity. Yale Office of Sustainability. Retrieved from https://sustainability.yale.edu/blog/6-ways-preserve-biodiversity
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). (2024). Tree facts. USDA Forest Service. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://www.fs.usda.gov