The Covid-19 conservation crisis

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As the coronavirus wreaks havoc, a new conservation crisis has gone unnoticed. Since March of this year, it is feared that 10 per cent of Botswana’s rhinos lie dead.

Niger has uncovered a “massacre” of gazelles in a nature reserve. And Uganda is seeing an unprecedented rise in snare traps.

In Asia, the problem is equally grave. India has seen a doubling of leopard poaching. The wildlife eco-systems across South Asia are coming under new stresses. In Russia, the battle to save the Amur leopard — of which there remain just 90 adults according to WWF — is a particular source of concern.

The human and natural worlds are intimately linked. This Covid-induced conservation crisis stems from the global economic crisis caused by the virus. On the ground, the collapse in tourism threatens to enfeeble the ability of national parks and conservation groups to protect wildlife.

A fall in funding for NGOs has left them worrying how to support the vital work of rangers...

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/coronavirus-conservation-species-extinction-stop-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-a9619946.html

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Видео The Covid-19 conservation crisis канала The Independent