Does protected area status prevent biodiversity decline in plant communities?
Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth and is important to most aspects of our lives. We value biodiversity both for what it provides to humans, such as food, fuel, shelter, medicine, pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests, and for the value it has in its own right. Biodiversity also holds value for potential benefits not yet recognized, such as new medicines and other possible unknown services.