ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 disease has emerged as one of the biggest pandemics ever experienced in the world and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible for this disease. As a result, governments around the world imposed strict restrictions that not only prohibited travel and brought international and national tourism to a standstill but also devastated countries’ economies. Likewise, Sundarbans ecosystem services have been experiencing tremendous economic problems due to governments’ lockdown responses to the pandemic and have impacted livelihood. Therefore, it is necessary to explore this emergent evidence on how ecosystem services in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world and a UNESCO designated world heritage site, likely to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic over the short term is significant to the local community. To make this assessment, this chapter intends to explore the positive and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on ecosystem services at UNESCO world heritage site, Sundarbans. The chapter draws from published academic research studies (e.g., scientific articles) as well as current emergent media sources (e.g., newspapers, government, and non-government organizations). Results reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly improves the air quality due to the restriction of transportation and industrial activities, while some negative consequences of COVID-19 such as overexploitation, deforestation, and degradation of natural resources have increased because of lower surveillance. This chapter also highlights a substantial impact on Sundarbans ecosystem services that might be a drawback for achieving sustainable development goals. Therefore, the chapter highlights several policy strategies that may be helpful to inform decision-makers to reimage the post-pandemic recovery and leverage sustainable development goals.
