The impacts of a global pandemic on the efficacy and stability of contemporary wildlife conservation : South Africa as a case study
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Date
Authors
Ehlers Smith, David A.
Ehlers Smith, Yvette C.
Davies-Mostert, Harriet T.
Thompson, Lindy J.
Parker, Daniel M.
De Villiers, Deon
Ricketts, Dean
Coverdale, Brent
Robertson, Peter J.
Kelly, Christopher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Conservationists speculated on potential benefits to wildlife of lockdown restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic but voiced concern that restrictions impeded nature conservation. We assessed the effects of lockdown restrictions on biodiversity conservation in South Africa, a biodiverse country with economic inequality and reliance on wildlife resources. We solicited expert opinion using the IUCN’s Threats Classification Scheme to structure a questionnaire and illustrated responses with individual case studies from government parastatal and non-governmental conservation organisations. The most highly reported threats were biological resource use, residential/commercial developments, invasive species, and human intrusions. The trends reported by 90 survey respondents were supported by case studies using environmental compliance data from parastatal conservation organisations. Lack of tourism revenue and funding were cited as hindrances to conservation. Mechanisms to prevent environmental degradation in the face of global emergencies must be implemented and ‘ring-fenced’ to ensure conservation is not a casualty during future global crises.
Description
DATA AVAILABILITY: The data belong to the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the various provincial conservation bodies and non-government organisations. These data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Keywords
Compliance, Hunting, Illegal hunting, Land invasions, Poaching, Wildlife tourism, SDG-15: Life on land
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Ehlers Smith, D.A., Ehlers Smith, Y.C., Davies-Mostert, H.T. et al. The impacts of a global pandemic on the efficacy and stability of contemporary wildlife conservation: South Africa as a case study. Ambio 52, 598–615 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-022-01814-z.