New Scientist magazine publishes “A Rescue Plan for Nature” in partnership with UNEP and GRID-Arendal
New Scientist, a respected weekly science magazine, is publishing a series of feature articles on the links between biodiversity and zoonotic diseases like COVID-19, with a focus on how ecosystem restoration can prevent future pandemics and make human communities healthier and more resilient. The articles are being produced in association with the UN Environment Programme and GRID-Arendal, while New Scientist retains full editorial control over the content.
The first feature article – a cover story entitled “Rescue plan for nature: How to fix the biodiversity crisis”, by Graham Lawton – begins like this:
“We have repeatedly been pressing the snooze button on the issue, but COVID-19 has provided perhaps the final wake-up call. ‘2021 must be the year to reconcile humanity with nature,’ said António Guterres, the UN secretary general, in an address to the One Planet Summit of global leaders in Paris last month. ‘Until now, we have been destroying our planet. We have been abusing it as if we have a spare one.’”
More feature articles in New Scientist:
- “How our abuse of nature makes pandemics like covid-19 more likely,” by Adam Vaughan
- “Covid-19 hit biodiversity across the globe. Here’s how to fix things,” by Donna Lu
- “Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too,” by Kate Douglas
- “Why rescuing the climate and saving biodiversity go hand in hand,” by Michael Le Page
Additional complementary articles:
- Leader: “Covid-19 is a wake-up call to stop abusing the ecosystems we depend on”
- Q&A with executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity: “Elizabeth Mrema interview: We have to be optimistic about biodiversity”
- Data visualization: “Our impact on Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity – in graphics”
- Positive profiles: “Ten conservation success stories when species came back from the brink”
This project will conclude with a capstone live event, streamed online and open to all, on 15 April 2021 at 18:00 BST. The event, entitled “A Rescue Plan for Nature,” will feature five experts from around the world:
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Partha Dasgupta, Cambridge economist and author of the UK government review “The Economics of Biodiversity”
- Susan Gardner, ocean conservationist and director of the Ecosystems Division at UNEP
- Cristián Samper, tropical biologist and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society
- Adjany Costa, UNEP Young Champion of the Earth and advisor to the presidency of Angola
- Zac Goldsmith, British Minister for Pacific and the Environment
The event is free to attend; register today.
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Photo at top: Peter Prokosch / GRID-Arendal