The message of Dr. Mohsen Sharifi, Professor at the Tarbiat Modares University, the respected Scientific Secretary of the Plant Biology Conference

Plants are always known as a main component and essential resource of the life in Earth. Currently, it is estimated that the number of vascular plant species is about 400,000. Other than cultivated species used by humans for food, medicine and various industries, there are many wild plants with great economic and cultural importance/potential facing the emerging challenges of environmental and climate disasters. Plants play a key role in preserving the environmental balance and stability of the earth's ecosystem and are considered an irreplaceable part of natural habitats for all living things.
One of today's concerns and challenges is the fact that many plant species, communities and their ecological relations, including the mutual interactions between plants themselves and the plant's place in human societies are at the risk of extinction. On the other hand, the risk of plant habitats loss due to over-exploitation, the dominance of alien invasive species, pollution, land clearance for the development of industry and even for agriculture demands is another threat affecting the green ring of the food chain and hence disparity of life for many years. Current situation has endangered the whole planet. If the risks and damages are not resolved timely and carefully, the opportunities to unravel economic, social, health and industrial issues will be lost.
Unquestionably, along with the exploitation of plants, taking versatile scientific effort to preserve and preserve plants is very essential; only by resolving respective issues, human societies around the world would be able meet, sustainably, their needs, regarding food, medicine, and water resources. Meanwhile, keeping air quality, maintaining rich and fruitful tourism landscapes, energy resources and healthy atmosphere rely mostly on vegetation. On the other hand, knowing the important role of plant diversity in protecting ecosystems against climate change, mankind need to try lessen the risk of plant extinctions due to human activities and preserve the genetic diversity of plants. Paying attention to cultural dimensions of profiting from plants and emphasizing the place of plants in human life, especially in native and local communities, will lay the groundwork for promoting the holiness and respect of plants as a God blessing, and therefore required challenges for preservation and maintenance of the invaluable resources.
We hope this Conference of Plant Biology, along with introducing the capacities, methods and fields of food, medicinal and industrial exploitation of plants, would be able to explore its dominant message of protection and presenting methods and plans for development of vegetation and culture, and promoting respect to plants/green nature becomes true and help to understand the importance of preservation of this priceless heritage for human generations to come and better future for all living beings.

Dr. Mohsen Sharifi
Professor at the Tarbiat Modares University