According to Leopold why is it important to protect those things that are wild and free? - What importance do they hold?

People don't appreciate what they don't know or understand. While a person from the city can enjoy wild flowers, he or she doesn't understand how they got there or what the life cycle of the plant is unless they take measures into their own hands and learn about the plants. There are so many different plants in the world that the smallest usually goes unnoticed because it isn't spectacular. Plants and nature mean life for people: we have to care if only for our own survival.