Check SCREEN READER MODE to make this survey compatible with screen readers.
COVID-19 and protected and conserved areas in Oceania
COVID-19 related impacts on Protected Areas and Biodiversity in the Oceania Region
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as the major international body for nature conservation is responding in multiple ways to the Covid 19 pandemic. As part of that effort the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is conducting a global review of the impacts of COVID-19 on protected and conserved areas. This will contribute to IUCN’s international efforts to guide policy development and prioritise support activities.
In a recent editorial essay WCPA wrote:
“The COVID-19 pandemic is having a dramatic impact on the global community; on people’s lives and health, livelihoods, economies, and behaviours. Most zoonotic disease pandemics, including COVID-19, arise from the unsustainable exploitation of nature. This special editorial provides a snapshot of how protected and conserved areas around the world are being impacted by COVID-19. For many protected and conserved areas, negative impacts on management capacity, budgets and effectiveness are significant, as are impacts on the livelihoods of communities living in and around these areas. We provide a commentary on how effectively and equitably managed systems of protected and conserved areas can be part of a response to the pandemic that both lessens the chance of a recurrence of similar events and builds a more sustainable future for people and nature. We conclude the editorial with a Call for Action for the rescue, recovery, rebuilding and expansion of the global network of protected and conserved areas.
We are conscious there are multiple efforts and other efforts to gather information but we would like to kindly request your assistance in completing this survey, which will feed into our global efforts to address the impacts and challenges identified above. It can be done from both a national and site-based perspective. The survey focuses on all area-based conservation measures, including terrestrial and marine protected areas, private protected areas, Indigenous Protected Areas) (IPAs), community managed areas and Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs).
For further information please contact Penelope Figgis, WCPA Vice Chair Oceania or Dr Marc Hockings WCPA Vice Chair Science and Management
