Reduced human activity in shallow reefs during the COVID-19 pandemic increases fish evenness

China, Victor; Zvuloni, Assaf; Belmaker, Jonathan

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109103

Cited by 23 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The greater free time of people due to rising unemployment may also have contributed to increased human pressure on these areas. Consequently, human impacts escalated in the already most ecologically degraded areas, as it was found in different marine ecosystems (China et al, 2021;Gundelund and Skov, 2021). Furthermore, some of the experts consulted in this study confirmed that more recreational fishing licenses were issued in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, which suggests an increase in the number of fishers.…”

Section: Global Importancesupporting

confidence: 67%

“…It is unlikely that the health of the world's marine ecosystems will show sustained improvement once the COVID-19 pandemic has been brought under control (see Corlett et al, 2020;Soga et al, 2021). Therefore, as suggested by other authors (e.g., China et al, 2021), in the event of a new pandemic in which recreational activities are not restricted in natural areas, it would be advisable to limit peoples' impacts in the more degraded peri-urban areas, favoring the dispersion of the population in larger areas to limit the excessive concentration of their impacts.…”

Section: Governing Marine Recreational Fishing In Future Pandemicsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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First Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Marine Recreational Fisheries

Pita

Ainsworth

Alba³

et al. 2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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This work is the result of an international research effort to determine the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine recreational fishing. Changes were assessed on (1) access to fishing, derived from lockdowns and other mobility restrictions; (2) ecosystems, because of alterations in fishing intensity and human presence; (3) the blue economy, derived from alterations in the investments and expenses of the fishers; and (4) society, in relation to variations in fishers’ health and well-being. For this, a consultation with experts from 16 countries was carried out, as well as an international online survey aimed at recreational fishers, that included specific questions designed to capture fishers’ heterogeneity in relation to behavior, skills and know-how, and vital involvement. Fishers’ participation in the online survey (5,998 recreational fishers in 15 countries) was promoted through a marketing campaign. The sensitivity of the fishers’ clustering procedure, based on the captured heterogeneity, was evaluated by SIMPER analysis and by generalized linear models. Results from the expert consultation highlighted a worldwide reduction in marine recreational fishing activity. Lower human-driven pressures are expected to generate some benefits for marine ecosystems. However, experts also identified high negative impacts on the blue economy, as well as on fisher health and well-being because of the loss of recreational fishing opportunities. Most (98%) of the fishers who participated in the online survey were identified as advanced, showing a much higher degree of commitment to recreational fishing than basic fishers (2%). Advanced fishers were, in general, more pessimistic about the impacts of COVID-19, reporting higher reductions in physical activity and fish consumption, as well as poorer quality of night rest, foul mood, and raised more concerns about their health status. Controlled and safe access to marine recreational fisheries during pandemics would provide benefits to the health and well-being of people and reduce negative socioeconomic impacts, especially for vulnerable social groups.

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Section: Global Importancesupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Governing Marine Recreational Fishing In Future Pandemicsmentioning

confidence: 98%

First Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Marine Recreational Fisheries

Pita

Ainsworth

Alba³

et al. 2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, three studies used observation and census to quantify and identify the density and diversity of species, mostly in marine reserves. In these articles, wildlife censuses were evaluated with ecology-related statistical analysis and assessment of quantitative data (China et al 2021;Patterson Edward et al 2021;Quesada-Rodríguez et al 2021). One study about impacts on wildlife combined qualitative analysis (interviews) and quantitative analysis (observations) (Koju et al 2021).…”

Section: Methods Of Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Developing countries were represented in 50% of the articles retrieved (n=7). Out of those, four examined Asian PAs (Cahyadi and Newsome 2021;China et al 2021;Koju et al 2021;Patterson Edward et al 2021), followed by two that analyzed African conserved spaces (Anand and Kim 2021;Smith et al 2021) and one study was located in Costa Rica, in Latin America (Quesada-Rodríguez et al 2021). Developed countries represented 42% of the articles retrieved (n=6).…”

Section: Subject Of Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding environment, two papers analyzed the influence of COVID-19 on PAs on water and sound pollution (Patterson Edward et al 2021;Terry et al 2021), while five examined the repercussions on wildlife and monitoring (China et al 2021;Miller-Rushing et al 2021;Patterson Edward et al 2021;Quesada-Rodríguez et al 2021;Smith et al 2021).…”

Section: Subject Of Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Protected Areas : A Systematic Review

Molteni

2021

KAWSAYPACHA

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Understanding the effects of COVID-19 on protected areas (PAs) is very important because these spaces are crucial for international policies for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to fully understand the impacts of COVID-19 on terrestrial and marine protected areas (PAs). To address this concern, we conducted a systematic review on the literature of the impacts of the pandemic on PAs. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines which helps authors to follow certain specific criteria when they make a systematic review on a topic. Following it, we examined five databases, together with complementary search perform in Google Scholar. Lastly, we made a qualitative assessment of articles retrieved, studying short-term changes, and identifying positive and negative effects, as well as challenges and opportunities that arise. After identifying, screening, and selecting, we included 14 journal articles published between February 2020 and May 2021. In the results we showed how the new virus-related restrictions affected the ecological, social and management dimensions of PAs. We discuss how these conserved areas gained social relevance during the pandemic but, at the same time, the vulnerability of related actors increased. Also, we suggested that some social problems differed between develop and developing countries. Additionally, digital tendencies consolidated in PAs management, research, and engagement. Overall sustainability of these places was compromised. We concluded that COVID-19 made humans to see everything through the lenses of health and PAs were not the exception.

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Researcher effects on the biological structure and edaphic conditions of field sites and implications for management

Rinehart,

Dybiec,

Richardson

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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Field studies are necessary for understanding natural processes in spite of the human‐induced disturbances they cause. While researchers acknowledge these effects, no studies have empirically tested the direct (e.g., harvesting plants) and indirect (i.e., trampling) effects of researcher activities on biological structure and edaphic conditions. We leveraged field studies in Alabama and California to monitor the recovery of tidal marshes following research activities. Researcher effects on animals, plants, and sediment conditions remained prevalent almost one year after the disturbance ended. For instance, trampled plots had 14%–97% lower plant cover than undisturbed plots after >10 months of recovery. Researcher effects also impacted plant composition, leading to increased subordinate species abundance. We encourage field researchers to adopt strategies that reduce their scientific footprints, including reducing field visits, limiting field team size, and considering ways to limit potential environmental impacts during study design.

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Reduced human activity in shallow reefs during the COVID-19 pandemic increases fish evenness

Cited by 23 publications

References 39 publications

First Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Marine Recreational Fisheries

First Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Marine Recreational Fisheries

The Impact of COVID-19 on Protected Areas : A Systematic Review

Researcher effects on the biological structure and edaphic conditions of field sites and implications for management

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