Flora is our lifeblood; it’s the very essence of our work as a nutritional supplement company. Beyond filling the contents of our supplement pots, wildflowers, plants, and fungi purify the air we breathe, and nurture a host of animals, including humans, and light up our landscapes with a smorgasbord of colours and textures, Life would cease without them. But they’re under threat. And this is precisely why we’ve pledged support to Plantlife – the international conservation membership charity, working to secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi and dedicated to saving threatened species on both a national and international scale.
Plantlife owns approximately 4,500 acres of natural land reserves across England, Wales, and Scotland, which is home to nearly 80% of the UK’s wildflowers. Its team works with a raft of businesses, landowners, community groups, conservation organisations, and governments in a quest to conserve wild plants and fungi in their natural habitats and help people to enjoy and learn about them. It’s also worth noting that Plantlife was instrumental in establishing the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation – a vision that strives to prevent the loss of plant diversity across the world.
Plantlife focuses on several areas; unsurprisingly, conservation is at the heart of all of them. They promote the importance of all plants and fungi for a sustainable and healthy planet, and at present have a particular focus in the UK on grasslands and temperate rainforests due to their acute vulnerability and at-risk species recovery. Say Plantlife in their current strategy: “Underpinning the health of our environment, wild plants and fungi are the foundation upon which we can help resolve the climate, ecological and societal challenges we face”.
On the world stage, Plantlife continues to collaborate and influence to empower societies across the globe to help protect plants and fungi; Plantlife is at the heart of a global network of Important Plant Areas to share expertise and accelerate conservation action. Its goal is that diversity and conservation of plants and fungi is recognised by the UN and governments everywhere.
That’s not all; Plantlife is an avid campaigner, too. From keeping the ‘wild’ in wildflowers and protecting peat, to saving our magnificent meadows and protecting nature on our road verges, Plantlife spearheads innovative campaigns to galvanise support for endangered flora. Alongside its grassroots work, it’s also politically engaged. Armed with a slew of compelling evidence and practical solutions, Plantlife discusses issues of nitrogen oxide (notoriously dangerous for wild plants, lichens, and fungi), agriculture, and forestry at a government level. It understands that if real change is going to happen, conversations with politicians are essential.
What makes Plantlife even more respectable is its concern for wider environmental problems, such as carbon emission, clean air and water, and the use of resources. And this trickles down into the way it works on a day-to-day basis. The charity is committed to reducing its own impact on the environment and strives to carry out its duties in the most sustainable way possible, even if it’s more costly.
Sharing a similar voice meant we didn’t hesitate over supporting the conservation efforts of Plantlife. Not only does the organisation encapsulate much of our outlook on environmental responsibility, but we have immense confidence in its ability to spark positive change and protect the future of our planet through focussing on wild plants and fungi. When customers buy from us, they can trust that conservation and sustainability are considered at every stage of our supply chain.
Bibliography:
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Cbd.int. (2019). Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. Available online: https://www.cbd.int/gspc [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].
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Plantlife. (2019). UK. Available online: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].
