Nature Warning

Coronavirus has affected people all over the world but it's also had a knock on impact on animals like rhinos. Now that most of the world is in lockdown and people can't visit the reserves where they live, the money to help the rhinos has dried up. Money from tourism and conservation charities helps pay the wages of people who look after endangered rhinos and anti-poaching rangers who help protect the animals from harm. It's thought that because of this illegal poaching could increase - putting these animals at even more risk. More Reading Here 

Museums are starting to reopen in some countries as governments ease coronavirus restrictions, but experts warn one in eight worldwide could face permanent closure due to the pandemic. Studies by Unesco and the International Council of Museums show 90% of the planet's museums, some 85,000 institutions, have had to shut at least temporarily. More reading here 

Future-proofing sustainable recovery and sustainable development is only possible when sound environmental responses, plans and policies are given the importance they deserve. The pandemic has exposed that gains made to address poverty, hunger, good health and well-being may face serious setbacks, unless the global community also urgently addresses the global environmental threats that have similar capacity to gravely undermine the systems that enable humanity and the planet to survive and thrive. Climate Action (Goal 13) Life on Land (Goal 15) Life below water (Goal 14) Responsible consumption and production (Goal 12) More reading here 

1. Protection against climate change  2. Nutrient-rich food source 3. Nature's medicine cabinet 4. Cultural significance  5. Improving soil health and fertility  6. Maintaining ecological connectivity and keeping ecological corridors open  More reading here 

Many of the threats facing biodiversity and protected areas will be exacerbated during, and following, the Covid-19 outbreak. The health of humans, animals and ecosystems are interconnected. An expanding agricultural frontier and human incursions into natural areas for logging, mining and other purposes has led to habitat loss and fragmentation, increased contact between human and wildlife and greater exploitation and trade of wild animal products. This enables the spread of diseases from animal populations to humans who have little or no resistance to them; Covid-19 is just the latest and most widespread of these zoonotic pandemics, following SARS, MERS and Ebola. This global pandemic will have both immediate and longer-term effects on protected and conserved areas. The pandemic has already resulted in the closure of parks and protected areas in many countries, resulting in a cascade of impacts . More Reading Here : 

According to recent news, in the evening 20 May 2020, cyclone hit West Bengal, India , killing at least 12 people and causing damage that will go into billions of dollars when added up. The authorities had moved over 200,000 people from the coast into shelters before the cyclone reached the coast. That however, created a complication, because these shelters were already being used as Covid-19 quarantine centres, and now people are squashed in them without any prospect of keeping enough distance to avoid infection, though all have been given masks and asked to wear them at all times. That speed went down to around 130 kmph by the time Amphan reached Kolkata, 100 kilometres inland, but was still strong enough to destroy thousands of uncemented buildings, uproot thousands of trees, turn all roads into raging torrents and short-circuit transformers all over the metropolis though the authorities had switched off power. Without the barrier from trees , the speed of wind could be even stron

The coronavirus has created a survival crisis for rural communities and, consequently, for wildlife!   There seems to be several good news about the environmental improvement and the animals moving freely during the lockdown; however, this is just a single picture of the whole picture. COVID-19 and the lockdown create more pressure on local community who depends on forest and the visit of tourists. Without economic driven for daily livelihood , the wildlife crime is more likely to happen. For example, the protected areas of remote northern Cambodia where the giant ibis were killed are home to some of the most unique assemblages of endangered birds anywhere in the region was occurred during this lockdown. More reading here