SDG-15 in the COVID-19 Era: Evolving Approaches to Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Resource Management

Abstract

This analysis investigates the COVID-19 pandemic's dual impact on social inequality and environmental sustainability within SDG-15 (Life on Land) framework. The study highlights devastating effects on vulnerable populations, including 1.6 billion informal workers and women facing increased economic hardship and domestic violence. The research reveals how the pandemic has affected environmental conservation and zoonotic disease emergence, showing direct links between human activities like deforestation and wildlife trafficking to animal-human disease transmission. The key challenges in achieving SDG-15 during the crisis include reduced environmental funding, disrupted conservation programs, increased household waste from e-commerce, and compromised wildlife protection monitoring. This study advocates for balanced policies that address both immediate socio-economic needs and long-term environmental sustainability. The findings emphasize sustainable ecosystem management's role in preventing future pandemics and preserving biodiversity. Socioeconomic disparities have been made worse by the epidemic, especially for vulnerable groups like the 1.6 billion unorganized workers that work around the world. Lockdowns and economic downturns have caused these people to lose a lot of money, which has made them more dependent on natural resources for their livelihood. In certain situations, this increased reliance has increased the strain on regional ecosystems, which could hasten environmental deterioration. By supporting methods like crop rotation, sustainable water use, and soil conservation, policies that support climate-resilient food systems and sustainable agriculture guard against the effects of climate change on food security.