COVID-19 lockdown allows researchers to quantify the effects of human activity on wildlife

Rutz, Christian; Loretto, Matthias‐Claudio; Bates, Amanda E.; Davidson, Sarah C.; Duarte, Carlos M.; Jetz, Walter; Johnson, Mark; Kato, Akira; Kays, Roland; Mueller, Thomas; Primack, Richard B.; Ropert‐Coudert, Yan; Tucker, Marlee A.; Wikelski, Martin; Cagnacci, Francesca

doi:10.1038/s41559-020-1237-z

Cited by 525 publications

(471 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

446

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, using trajectory information to quantify changes in vessel behaviour would allow the mapping of changes of multiple human pressures (e.g. underwater noise, fishing effort, boat anchoring, air pollution), assess their interactions and potential effects on wildlife 1,31 and quantify their cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems 30,44 . While there are open-source datasets at supraregional areas at higher resolutions (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as both a global health and socioeconomic crisis, with many countries implementing unparalleled mobility restrictions to control the spread of the virus. This unprecedented event, which has been referred to as the "anthropause", a period of reduced human mobility 1 , has led to sudden and often dramatic reductions in transport, energy consumption and consumer demand resulting in significant changes in the scale and extent of human stressors and their associated impacts on the natural environment [2][3][4][5][6] . To better understand the potential effects on the environment and biodiversity, there is an urgent need to quantify the magnitude and patterns of the changes in human activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Tracking the global reduction of marine traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic

March

Metcalfe

Tintoré

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unparalleled global impacts on human mobility. In the ocean, ship-based activities are thought to have decreased due to severe restrictions and changes in goods consumption, but little is known of the patterns of change, which sectors are most affected, in which regions, and for how long. Here, we map global change of marine traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess its temporal variability at a fine-scale in one of the most affected regions, the Mediterranean Sea. Nearly 44.3% of the global ocean and 77.5% of national jurisdictions showed a decrease in traffic density during April 2020, when strictest confinement measures took place, showing a clear disruption in comparison with previous trends and future projections. Decreases mainly occurred in coastal areas and were more marked and longer lasting in sectors other than cargo and tanker shipping. Our results provide guidance for large-scale monitoring of the progress and potential effects of COVID-19, or other global shocks, on the blue economy and ocean health.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking the global reduction of marine traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic

March

Metcalfe

Tintoré

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The COVID-19 pandemic saw an unprecedented global 'lockdown', with almost two-thirds of the world's human population placed under some sort of confinement by early April 2020 (Bates et al 2020). This offered a unique opportunity to study the impact of humans on the environment (Lindsey et al 2020;Manenti et al 2020;Rutz et al 2020). One of the most immediate and visible impacts was the increase in air quality linked to reduced air pollution (Dutheil et al 2020;Muhammad et al 2020;Stratoulias and Nuthammachot 2020, but see Wang et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Urban Street Litter in South Africa

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The lockdowns instigated to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity to assess how restrictions on human activity affect street litter. We recorded daily litter arrival rates for 50 days in two South African cities from the time of strictest lockdown through two successive easings in regulations. The strict lockdown had no marked impact on litter composition, which was dominated by convenience foods and beverages (29% by number, 34% by mass) and tobacco products (33% by number, 3% by mass). The ban on the sale of tobacco products during the lockdown did not greatly reduce the number of cigarette butts and associated packaging. Vehicle parts accounted for <1% of litter items (2% by mass) whereas household waste spilled from bins prior to or during collection accounted for 3% of litter items (14% by mass). Street litter loads decreased roughly by a factor of three during the strict lockdown. The increase in litter was gradual, suggesting a reduction in compliance with regulations as the lockdown continued. Our results show a clear link between human activity levels and littering. Highlights • Street litter loads increased threefold in two cities as COVID lockdowns eased. • Cigarette butts made up 33% of litter by number despite a ban on tobacco sales. • There is a clear link between human activity levels and littering.

show abstract

“…Esta resignificación y redefinición de la vida social contrasta con el cese casi total de la movilidad humana global, que se ha conceptualizado, entre otros como anthropause por algunos científicos naturales en el contexto de la ecología (Rutz et al, 2020) y como full stop desde la antropología (Caduff, 2020). A pesar de la connotación de estos términos a la desaceleración, los textos de este número especial atienden a una viva cotidianeidad que nos muestra que estamos asistiendo a un posible cambio profundo y "liminal" (cf.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified