Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

A coronavirus recovery can benefit biodiversity, researchers argue

Researchers ask governments to put conservation of nature in the center.

Fermin Koop by Fermin Koop
May 28, 2020
in Environment, Environmental Issues, News, Science

The coronavirus pandemic has led to widespread changes in human behavior and reductions in the levels of pollution. Lockdowns have even caused many to rethink their consumer needs. But this shouldn’t necessarily be temporary, making it an opportune time to promote sustainable choices.

Credit Flickr

A group of environmental researchers has called for the conservation of nature to be at the center of the economic recovery from the pandemic. In an open letter published in Science, they asked governments to start making plants that that “safeguard biodiversity and human health” as they rebuild.

“How we emerge from the state of lockdowns will drive a new world economy with lasting effects on global biodiversity and supply chains,” the researchers wrote, claiming the path chosen will have lasting effects on global biodiversity. The right plans could “tip the balance” in favor of nature.

Past events such as pandemics, wars, and financial crises have also triggered quantifiable environmental changes. We can learn from such historical developments to guide effective conservation strategy, the authors argued. Governments and organizations should adopt clear strategies to safeguard both biodiversity and human health, they added.

There are some examples of upheavals that have had unintended benefits for nature, they claimed. The nuclear accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine, and the resulting exclusion zone around the plant, created an unplanned wilderness that has since been designated an ecological reserve.

The armed conflict in Colombia between the national government and guerrilla groups, for example, created unofficial protected areas. “This slowed environmental degradation because people were fearful of entering remote areas occupied by rebels,” Dr. Ryan Pearson from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, told the BBC.

The researchers argued that economies can be boosted while protecting humans and nature by redesigning trade networks and supply chains to localize and better support sustainable consumer options. Environmental protection can also be strengthened, improving environmental monitoring.

Environmental policy has already moved in both directions, they claimed. Although in some places, environmental protections have weakened, in others, governments have banned animal trade and aim to localize supply chains to increase resource security. Recovery strategies can be optimized to benefit biodiversity conservation and protect human health, they added.

“We hope our letter will encourage positive strategies to support biodiversity into legislation, and the behaviour of people in their choices – in their consumption, investment, and travel,” Dr Pearson told the BBC.

This year was also supposed to deliver new global targets for protecting biodiversity. But the coronavirus epidemic postponed without a specific date the meeting in which the targets were supposed to be agreed amid the Convention of Biological Diversity (CDB).

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. We can’t “plant our way” out of the climate crisis, researchers argue
  2. EU unveils $750-billion coronavirus recovery plan that includes strict environmental conditions
  3. UN calls on governments to ditch coal from their coronavirus recovery plans
  4. Economic effects of coronavirus lockdowns are staggering – but health recovery must be prioritized
  5. Shifting away from monocultures would benefit both wildlife and people
Tags: biodiversitycoronavirus

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW