Insects are also, of course, attracted to plants.
And technical science aside, dead leaves, crumbs from potting soil, and drips from watering all make the idea inadvisable in a space that is supposed to be kept completely clean. Add the light, particularly UV, that is needed to keep plants healthy, and the picture gets worse. I do not suggest that conservators should not try to make conditions better for the collection, but when someone makes a costly mistake that could have been avoided,it is not always helpful to sweep it under the rug. In many cases, there are legitimate reasons that the usual conservation recommendations for materials cannot be followed, but a proper process for decision-making entails a team effort to come up with the best proposal for the particular circumstances. This would include, if I recall the case correctly, an investigation of plywood types, the chemical properties of different veneer materials, and the optimal choice of coatings, as well as consideration of initial costs, maintenance, and mitigation costs, and projected long-term costs related to unnecessary aging of collections.