2. Funding conservation
Lockdown camera traps have revealed elusive leopards prowling South Africa’s Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy and pampas cats roaming close to organic vines at Condor Valley in Argentina. A generation of humpback whales are experiencing silent seas for the first time (as cargo and cruise ships fall still), and, from Costa Rica to Indonesia, green and hawksbill sea turtles are having a bumper laying season on deserted beaches.
While it’s reassuring to see nature thriving in the absence of humans, in reality, much conservation work is at risk; without tourism to fund the protection of ecosystems and wildlife, thousands of acres and species are vulnerable to exploitation.
In Botswana, one of the safest rhino habitats in the world, poaching increased so much in March that critically endangered black rhinos are being relocated. In Cambodia, the CEO of Yaana Ventures, Willem Niemeijer, is also concerned. Wildlife protection in the 18,000-hectare Botum Sakor National Park is threatened by our inability to receive clients,’ he says. ‘Cardamom Tented Camp is a not-for-profit operation, with profits funding the ranger station and patrol activities… everyone has been hard hit and so poaching is on the rise.’ The Wildlife Conservation Society believes that three critically endangered giant ibis were killed for meat in April as a result of the closure of tourism in Cambodia.
Illegal fishing is also on the up in some of Indonesia’s conservation hot spots. In April, rangers at the 120,000-hectare Misool Marine Reserve caught poachers taking advantage of the sudden vacuum created by the collapse of tourism in Raja Ampat. With the support of the marine police, rangers confiscated 150kg of fish, including ecologically sensitive species.
Besides offering a financial incentive to protect wildlife, tourists, rangers and guides provide much-needed eyes and ears on the ground. Without them, decades of conservation is in jeopardy, particularly in places where poaching for bushmeat will increase if people lose jobs due to the decline in tourism.
Delphine King, executive director of The Long Run, says, ‘When we do travel again, supporting those funding conservation and investing in local communities will be critical, alongside accepting where might benefit from a continued respite.’
