13
April
Over 20 countries found weakening environmental protection during pandemic (3-11-21)
April 13, 2021
Over 20 countries found weakening environmental protection during pandemic
The Straits Times / Thomson Reuters Foundation
3-11-21
At least 22 countries enacted or proposed changes during the coronavirus pandemic that weaken environmental regulation, endangering protected areas around the globe, according to a research paper published on Thursday (March 11).
Brazil, India and the United States are the hot spots of Covid-19-era rollbacks, said the paper, part of a wider report published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature on how protected areas were affected by the pandemic.
“During a time when all eyes were obviously on Covid-19… you had governments reducing budgets or weakening environmental protection,” said Ms Mariana Napolitano Ferreira, head of science at WWF Brazil and one of 150 researchers who wrote the report.