07/30/2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on conservation efforts in Africa. The perfect storm of reduced funding, lower conservation capacity, and heightened threats to wildlife and ecosystems could destroy the conservation gains achieved over the past several decades.
Many of the protected areas where we work are facing budget reductions of 75-85%, which means layoffs of existing personnel and the possibility of these nature reserves being stripped of wildlife due to poaching and/or converted to agricultural lands.
We must come together as an international community to find ways to bolster conservation efforts if we want future generations to have access to the incredible wildlife of Africa.
In Africa, COVID-19 has created a perfect storm of reduced funding, restrictions on the operations of conservation agencies, and elevated human threats to nature. This Perspective discusses solutions to move beyond this immediate crisis.
