It is often very easy to forget just how much we rely on biodiversity to provide us with the basics of life. With every breath we take, we consume oxygen produced by forests and seas.  Every mouthful of food has been living material that relied on soil, microbes and plants to grow.

Plants have provided us with fibres, timber to build or burn, medicines and dyes.

Habitats such as bogs help to store rainwater, helping to reduce floods or drought, while grass and trees in our cities can reduce the effects of summer heat.

Animals such as insects, spiders, birds and bats all consume large numbers of crop pests and mosquitoes which would otherwise cause us great problems.

Animals and plants have had millions of years to adapt to become masters at what they do. From the structure of a bird's wing, to the incredibly strong silk of a spiders web, by studying the natural world humans have been able to develop better and better solutions to our needs.

Beyond all the purely practical benefits, interaction with the natural world provides us with the enjoyment, inspiration and spiritual benefits essential to physical and mental health.