Native Plant Trust

Why Native Plants?

All Life Depends on Plants

Oxygen. Food. Habitat.

These three words compose a short list of the essential conditions for life that plants provide to all organisms on Earth, including humans. Plants also regulate the climate and clean the water. But nothing on the planet can live without these three. 

Native plants are the cornerstone of Earth’s ecosystems and the base of the food chain that leads to our dinner tables. They evolved in and define particular locations, where they provide the habitats—food and shelter—that specific insects, birds, mammals, and other animals need. Together, native plants and animals form a web of mutually beneficial interactions that is greater than the sum of its parts: an ecosystem. 

By conserving native plants in the wild and using them in designed spaces, we protect and enhance the integrity, resilience, diversity, and beauty of our planet.