The Covid-19 pandemic has put nature and health at the forefront of the agenda for governments and businesses.
The pandemic has made us prioritize nature and the health of our planet and all its inhabitants. The agenda has changed, and therefore, in 2021, we expect to find tangible solutions for both economic recovery and the fight against climate change, which is the great challenge of our time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant social and economic impacts at both regional and global levels. The direct consequences of the mobility restrictions implemented by governments in the region are well known, but the key relationships between natural resources and the factors that contributed to the spread of the virus, the spread of infections, and the impacts of the virus itself have not been explored in greater detail.
The relationship between natural resources and the COVID-19 pandemic is very diverse. On the one hand, they are essential factors for controlling the crisis (food, drinking water, biodiversity, and electricity), and on the other hand, they are impacted by its consequences (use of fuels, minerals, etc.).
Quarantine measures have led to a temporary and sustained decrease in fuel consumption and, consequently, in associated emissions and pollution, as well as in resource exploitation itself. COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease (transmitted from animals to humans) that has spread very easily from human to human due to the high levels of overcrowding and connectivity in our social structure. In all studies exploring the causes of the spread of zoonotic diseases, land-use change is the most significant factor.
The first factors are:
- Land use changes (fragmentation and degradation of ecosystems)
- Changes in the food industry
- Human susceptibility
- International connectivity (travel)
- A high diversity of species, characteristic of healthy ecosystems.
The evidence suggests that the conservation of biodiversity and its ecosystem services is necessary to protect human health directly and indirectly.