Do cacti have a good or bad effect on the environment?

Answer 1

Cacti have a good effect on the environment. They serve as vegetation and ground cover in hostile environments. They thereby work against the developmental woes of erosion and compaction. Their shoots, roots and fruits provide food and shelter for such a diverse wildlife population as birds, bugs, insects, and mammals. They make life easier for humans, by the use of their body parts as human drink and food, and for buildings and tools. They give jobs to pollinators. Through their needles, they direct rainfall down to the ground surface, and then into the soil, for use by the soil food web and by plant roots. They aerate the ground with their roots opening up passageways through the soil. They add beauty to harsh landscapes with their unusual forms and brightly colored flowers.