Wilderness areas also benefit the environment. They protect watersheds from excessive rainfall runoff. They help keep the air clean since trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Pure water and clean air, for both urban and rural areas, are a benefit of wilderness. People need wilderness areas for other reasons also.
Natural areas are scenic places to escape crowds, cars, and the noise of machines.
They are places where people can hike, canoe, picnic, camp, fish, ski, ride horses, watch wildlife, take photographs, paint pictures, climb mountains, or simply enjoy some time alone. Many medicines like heart drugs, antibiotics, and anti-cancer drugs come from plants. Scientists have studied only about five percent of the plants in the world today for their possible helpful effects on humans. Preserving wilderness areas will also save plants for future research. Many people have worked to protect some of the natural lands in the United States as wilderness.