The future of sustainability in the context of COVID-19 |
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Authors: | Donna-Mare Cawthorn Alexandra Kennaugh Sam M Ferreira |
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Institution: | 1.School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit, 1200 South Africa ;2.Oak Foundation, 43 Palace Street, London, SW1E 5HL UK ;3.Scientific Services, SANParks, Skukuza, 1350 South Africa |
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Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis emanating both from a virus (SARS-CoV-2) and from the drastic actions to contain it. Here, we reflect on the immediate responses of most world powers amid the pandemic chaos: totalitarian surveillance and nationalist isolation. Drawing on published literature, we consider measures such as wildlife-use bans, lockdowns and travel restrictions, along with their reverberations for people, economies and the planet. Our synthesis highlights significant shortfalls of applying command-and-control tactics in emergencies. For one, heavy-handed bans risk enormous unintended consequences and tend to fail if they lack legitimacy or clash with people’s values. Furthermore, reactive and myopic strategies typically view the pandemic as a stand-alone crisis, rather than unravelling the complex interplay of nature-society interactions through which zoonotic diseases originate. A return to adaptive management approaches that recognise root causes and foster socio-ecological resilience will be essential to improve human and planetary health and mitigate future pandemics. |
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Keywords: | Adaptive management COVID-19 Emerging disease Nationalist isolation Totalitarian surveillance Wildlife trade Zoonosis |
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