Where butterflies decline, chronic inflammatory diseases increase. Where native plants flourish, kids have fewer allergies.
Chronic inflammatory diseases have doubled every two decades since 1950 in wealthier countries. This finding is significant. In the U.S., allergies have increased by 50 percent and asthma by one-third over the past 20 years. We have diminished the biological diversity of the world around us. So, when outside, we encounter fewer species due to reduced biodiversity. People also spend increasing time indoors. Decreased diversity in our lives correlates with increases in diseases and allergies. Crohn’s disease, asthma, allergies, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions are increasing.
By 2050, two-thirds of the global human population will live in urban areas. People will enjoy limited green space and contact with nature. It’s predicted that more people will suffer from chronic inflammatory disorders.
While it’s important to control pathogens and pests, not all are bad. Billions of species of microbes exist. But less than a hundred of them cause most of the world’s infectious diseases.
Most of the others are likely harmless or even helpful. But those in our homes stand little chance of survival in the face of all the toxins we throw at them. Even outside, we consider the garden a dangerous place needing chemical suppression.
Now science is saying, ‘Not so fast.’
Some recent studies prove the need to rewild our outdoor spaces. One found a link between fewer allergies and more native plants in backyards. They studied children whose houses had a variety of microbes. They also linked the vanishing of butterflies to a rise in chronic diseases.
These show that increased native plant diversity boosts your immune system and reduces inflammation. Others found similar results for children in homes with diverse environmental microbes. A researcher connected butterfly disappearance to increased chronic inflammatory diseases.
A recent study further tested the biodiversity hypothesis of inflammatory disorders. It raises questions about how biodiversity loss affects public health. The research found higher biodiversity improved urban residents’ well-being. It also found this to be true where atopy, or genetic tendency toward conditions, was present.
The researchers in Finland found still another link in their study. They linked rare native plants to lower allergy rates among teens. The researchers also looked at the children’s skin. They found more types of bacteria. Among them was a kind known to help the immune system. Plants of different species associate with different microbes. The protective bacteria can land on the children’s skin as they play in backyards. It also could have floated through windows as they slept. The study established “a direct relationship between exposure to native plant diversity.” It showed the effect of native plant diversity on gammaproteobacteria on the skin. This triggers the peacekeeping pathway of the immune system. It keeps inflammation in check.
The connection between native plants and human health is a critical lesson. We can’t all move to the country. But we can plant native plants anywhere and everywhere people live. Native plants–from perennials to trees–belong in human environments. This means more native plants from the backyards of suburbia to the balconies and rooftops of downtowns. Native plants provide more food and shelter for wildlife. They create more filtration of stormwater runoff and environmental pollutants. Their roots help store carbon, stabilize soil, and improve soil health. And now we can add increased human immunity and wellness to that growing list.
Native species are important to Forrest Keeling’s mission to ‘restore Earth’s ecosystem one tree at a time’. We can help you with adding appropriate native species to projects of any scope.
Contact a team member. We can give recommendations and information on native plant availability.
Forrest Keeling… it’s where the best trees begin!