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All species, including humans, require a range of basic resources to keep them alive. We need oxygen in the air we breathe, we need water to drink, food to eat and shelter from the weather, sun or rain. The living things on our planet provide many of these things for us. We could call this our 'life support system'.
For example, green plants take carbon dioxide from the air and in the process of growing and living (photosynthesis) put oxygen back into the air for us to breathe.
Biodiversity also carries out many other helpful functions for us. Plants help to protect our soil and prevent it washing away in the rain. Bees and other insects help to pollinate plants and crops, helping to grow seeds and fruits for us to sow and eat.
Plants and animals are part of our traditions and culture. The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland; our rugby team proudly wears it on their shirts. There are many stories about our plants and animals.
The main resource used by many of our industries including fisheries, agriculture, and forestry and in some cases tourism is biodiversity. For example, all our farm crops and animals are descendants of wild organisms, and are a component of biodiversity. Some of our food is taken directly from the wild, such as venison from deer and salmon. Without biodiversity we would be hungry.
We still rely on plants and animals for many of our medicines. Medicines for heart disease are still made from foxgloves and researchers studying the development of cancer are using chemicals extracted from jellyfish. Wild plants are constantly being screened in search of new cures for disease; we do not know which ones may be useful so we must protect them all.