Opinion: Biodiversity conservation during a global crisis: Consequences and the way forward

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the latest episode in a string of environment-borne human tragedies, catastrophic in its magnitude, reach, and repercussions. Understandably, the scientific literature has focused on the causes and consequences of the pandemic from an anthropocentric viewpoint. As immense as the human tragedy surrounding the pandemic is, the glaring blind spot is the ecological impact of the pandemic and the pandemic-induced lockdown. Scientific reports on the impacts of the pandemic on issues of conservation concern are minuscule in comparison with reports on social, economic, political, and health-related consequences. The sudden rapid outbreak of the disease, short time frame since the commencement of the lockdown, and inaccessibility to field sites to start new empirical studies and monitor ongoing studies have resulted in the absence of scientific evidence of direct impacts of the lockdown on species and ecosystems of concern. As a result, much of the direct ecological impact of the lockdown is still anecdotal. We believe that the current pandemic, the subsequent lockdown, and the postlockdown flurry to return to normalcy will have vital positive and negative consequences for biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, we believe that these repercussions present an opportunity to learn important lessons for how to deal with future crises. Here, we present an account of the possible consequences of the pandemic on biodiversity conservation and the way forward for a more stringent and comprehensive planetary conservation strategy.

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