The global lockdown to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic health risks has altered human interactions with nature. Here, we report immediate impacts of changes in human activities on wildlife and environmental threats during the early lockdown months of 2020, based on 877 qualitative reports and 332 quantitative assessments from different studies. Hundreds of reports of unusual species observations from around the world suggest that animals quickly responded to the reductions in human presence. However, negative effects of lockdown on conservation also emerged, as confinement resulted in some park officials being unable to perform conservation, restoration and enforcement tasks, resulting in local increases in illegal activities such as hunting. Overall, there is a complex mixture of positive and negative effects of the pandemic lockdown on nature, all of which have the potential to lead to cascading responses which in turn impact wildlife and nature conservation. While the net effect of the lockdown will need to be assessed over years as data becomes available and persistent effects emerge, immediate responses were detected across the world. Thus, initial qualitative and quantitative data arising from this serendipitous global quasi-experimental perturbation highlights the dual role that humans play in threatening and protecting species and ecosystems. Pathways to favorably tilt this delicate balance include reducing impacts and increasing conservation effectiveness.

Insect pests cost billions of dollars per year globally, negatively impacting food crops and infrastructure, and contributing to the spread of disease. Timely information regarding developmental stages of pests can facilitate early detection and control, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. In 2018, the U.S. National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) released a suite of ‘Pheno Forecast’ map products relevant to science and management. The Pheno Forecasts include real-time maps and short-term forecasts of insect pest activity at management-relevant spatial and temporal resolutions and are based on accumulated temperature thresholds associated with critical life-cycle stages of economically important pests. Pheno Forecasts indicate, for a specified day, the status of the insect’s target life-cycle stage in real time across the contiguous United States. The maps are available for 12 pest species including the invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire [Coleoptera: Buprestidae]), hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand), and gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar Linnaeus [Lepidoptera: Erebidae]). Preliminary validation based on in-situ observations for hemlock woolly adelgid egg and nymph stages in 2018 indicated the maps to be ≥93% accurate depending on phenophase. Since their release in early 2018, these maps have been adopted by tree care specialists and foresters across the United States. Using a consultative mode of engagement, USA-NPN staff have continuously sought input and critique of the maps and delivery from end users. Based on feedback received, maps have been expanded and modified to include additional species, improved descriptions of the phenophase event of interest, and e-mail-based notifications to support management decisions.

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1. Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris syn. Pennisetum ciliare) was introduced to Sonoran Desert in the early 20th century and has become widespread at low elevations. This perennial bunchgrass accumulates abundant biomass that can carry fires through ecosystems not adapted to fire, resulting in devastating impacts for native cacti and other plant and animal life.2. Buffelgrass is most effectively managed through the application of herbicide when the grass is at least 50% green. Because the grass rapidly greens up following summer monsoon rainfall, it is possible to forecast green-up using daily rainfall measurements.3. In 2019, the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) released daily Buffelgrass Green-up Forecast maps for the state of Arizona based on the PRISM 4 km daily total precipitation product. The daily digital Buffelgrass Green-up Forecast maps are a freely available data product and meet the FAIR principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability. They are permanently archived and publicly accessible as raster and image layers from the USA-NPN website.4. These map layers support planning the timing of management activities to maximize buffelgrass treatment efficacy and researchers seeking to incorporate daily estimates of buffelgrass greenness in their analyses.

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