The Anthropause: How is it impacting wildlife?

By Richard B. Primack

“I have been sick for so long that I have almost forgotten what it is to be well.”  -Henry David Thoreau in his correspondence. 

In a recent article in CNN World, journalist Caitlin Hu poses the question, “Can nature heal itself? What the pandemic has shown us.”

In many places during the time of the pandemic lockdown, wildlife have become more active and widespread due to reduced human activity. However, at other locations, poaching levels have increased due to reduced enforcement and the need for rural people to find sources of income.  A major concern is also what will happen to national parks and the ecotourism industry now that revenues have declined precipitously.  

The pandemic lockdown offers an unprecedented opportunity to determine how reduced human activity affects conservation efforts. In particular, this will help us evaluate the effectiveness of conservation management and might suggest new management strategies once the pandemic is over.   

How will the pandemic affect the abundance and management of wildlife, such as this brown bear?
(Photo by Robert F. Tobler, Source Wikimedia Commons, license CC-BY-SA 4.0)