As we sit in the vortex of the Covid-19 outbreak, individual energies are focused on staying safe and juggling the personal, social and financial impacts of the pandemic and political responses to it. These impacts are profoundly re-shaping our lives, with many commentators suggesting that ‘normality’ will be permanently redefined for all sectors of society. The future is not clear because the maelstrom is so intense that it is unlikely that the dust will settle any time soon. This pandemic will be one of the major game changers for humanity in the 21st century. The conservation impacts are set to be huge, and this is an understatement. It is remarkable how little past attention has been given to identifying the conservation impacts of human responses to pandemics and preparing for these, especially given considerable investment in global biodiversity and conservation-focused horizon scanning exercises over the last decade...
