Disruptions caused by pandemics lead to biodiversity loss.

In a Wildlife and Countryside Link survey from March, 2020,62 estimated losses due to COVID-19 for 23 responding organisations were already greater than US$100 million, not inclusive of future losses from decreased grant opportunities. Reduced funding for conservation has been substantial in many locations,63 impeding effective global biodiversity conservation, including achieving UN Aichi biodiversity targets, and issues such as deforestation, wildlife poaching, and greenhouse gas emissions.64 The $343 billion global wildlife tourism industry65 has been substantially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic66 with income shock affecting households throughout a range of countries and regions with high biodiversity,66 and wildlife-related tourism activity entirely vanishing in some locations.63 For example, in Kenya, tourism to Tsavo National Park generates a mainstream revenue for the Kenya Wildlife Service, whose operations are crucial to wildlife protection, protected area establishment, and anti-poaching enforcement.67 Tsavo Trust reported a 50% reduction in their capacity to operate in March, 2020,67 which could substantially disrupt conservation work for years to come. Such disruptions can lead to increased illegal resource extraction and wildlife poaching that feeds into the illegal trade, both as a result of diminished capacity to patrol protected areas, and severe reductions in income that wildlife tourism provides to millions worldwide.57 Although data on the effects is still being collected for some of these cases, there have already been increased instances of poaching and illegal resource harvesting, although, these trends might not be universal.57

Lockdown effects Lockdowns and restrictions to human movement have had diverse effects, with consequences for biodiversity and ecosystems. On the one hand, they have reduced tourism pressure in many areas, but on the other hand, they have simultaneously disrupted important environmental conservation programmes.68 For example, the Australian Antarctic Division experienced COVID-19-related project delays, reduced capacity to train and deploy expedition teams,69 and scaled back their 2020–21 summer expedition, potentially undermining the realisation of research goals.70 These changes came as Antarctica's 2019–20 summer temperatures were substantially above average,71 concluding the Earth's hottest decade ever recorded.72, 73 This disruption and similar other interferences could compromise the accuracy and continuity of climate research that is required to both guide and measure progress on reducing greenhouse emissions, and impede mitigation of climate change's effects on disease emergence.47 Although economic shutdowns initially led to some significant reductions in air pollution and CO2 emissions around the world,74, 75 emissions declined less than expected by climate researchers and rose substantially again as 2020 progressed.76 A continued surge of activity aimed at economic recovery as social lockdowns and economic shutdowns are relaxed could probably negate the benefits of a short pause in human activity unless managed correctly.