TY - JOUR
AU - Reuter, Kim
AU - Andriantsaralaza, Seheno
AU - Friis Hansen, Malene
AU - LaFleur, Marni
AU - Jerusalinsky, Leandro
AU - Louis, Edward E
AU - Ratzimbazafy, Jonah
AU - Williamson, Elizabeth
AU - Mittermeier, Russell A
PY - 2022
DA - May
TI - Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primate Research and Conservation
JO - Animals
VL - 12
IS - 9
DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12091214
AB - There is evidence to suggest that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may hamper our achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Here, we use non-human primates as a case study to examine the impacts of COVID-19 on the ability to achieve biodiversity conservation and management sustainability targets. We collected data through a survey of members of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group from January to March 2022. Of the 93 experts that responded to our survey, we found that 39% had not been able to visit any of their field sites since March 2020, 54% said they had less funding available for their primate-related work, and only one out of ten said they had managed to achieve at least 76–100% of their planned primate-related work since March 2020. Six out of 10 respondents (61%) felt that primate conservation efforts in protected areas were worse than before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and one-third (33%) felt hunting was happening more frequently than before. This study provides evidence of the impacts of COVID-19 on progress towards achieving the SDGs, and provides practical lessons learned for biodiversity conservation efforts moving forward.
PB - MDPI
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/1893/34274
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
KW - Research methods
ER