My opinion is that nature since it has existed before Man inhabited this Planet (we are really late inhabitants) how can nature benefit us? And likewise if we were made extinct, nature would continue, it would not die down. That's evident through the Ice Age etc. I think that everything simply exists because the Big Bang was a 'fluk', whether comet or whatever. I mean that life in whatever form exists on this Planet and not others in this galaxy are due to a number of factors being present that came together e.g - We are at the perfect distance from the Sun for life to be sustained, the Sun is at a good temperature for life to develop on most of the Planet, the atmospheric content, the presence and effect of the Moon, which I think happens to be the biggest moon in the galaxy - but unsure?, the presence of ozone layer to protect against harmful rays, the stronger ones from the Sun etc
Plankton which is microscopic absorbs the most carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and deposits it in the seabed, this helps retain our atmospheric balance which is now under threat. What I'm saying is that Man's relationship with nature is delicate. It is one of domination, since Man arrived. At times, nature wins as in natural disasters - volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunami's etc - but even that over time may well be conquered? And at other times, we are dominant as for example- Man's manipulation and control of nature - loads of examples - farm breeding, DNA manipulation (we are playing God?) deforestation - resulting in the extinction of natural species, hybrid animals and trees, even bees wax - how many uses has that from what's in your fridge to medicine etc. Even the diseases mentioned, fight for dominance. Sometimes they kill their hosts other times, humans develop immunity. Man does what benefits him, life in whatever form from bacteria to humans, fights to exist at the same time and that relationship with nature is one of a delicate ecological balance?