Lessons for conservation from the mistakes of the COVID‐19 pandemic: The promise and peril of big data and new communication modalities

Abstract

New datasets and information infrastructure are revolutionizing how societies respond to environmental crises, while creating novel challenges. Conservation biology can learn from other fields that have confronted crises while navigating changes in the scientific process. The COVID‐19 pandemic offers one such opportunity. We identify lessons from the use of big data and the sharing of preliminary scientific information in an increasingly “networked” communication system during the pandemic. Although big data were central to early pandemic responses, acquisition and sharing of big data alone were insufficient to produce knowledge for effective crisis response. Some shortcomings could be addressed by validating and automating processing of big data. Preliminary scientific information was widely available and shared through a broad communication infrastructure during the pandemic, contributing to widespread misinformation. Diverse actions connecting information producers and consumers could help mitigate misinformation risk. By examining pandemic lessons, conservation biologists may be better equipped to handle conservation crises.