Is there any benefit for having animals spawn on the islands?

I think I closed the window that explained it too quickly, but I read that after you are able to expand the vegetation through some percentage of the land, animals come to the island and stay to live there.

Is there any benefit for this? Or is it simply aesthetic?


Solution 1:

If your coverage is at a certain percentage (I think around 50%, and later again at around 100%) you unlock new memories.

Solution 2:

There are two types of animals in the game. The Destroyer eats the prickly trees and other vegetation, and the Planter spreads more vegetation across the islands.