To contain transmission of COVID-19, lockdowns or strict restrictions of people's mobility outside their residences were instituted in a majority of countries worldwide, including Nepal, where the first phase of nationwide lockdown was observed from 24 March to 21 July 2020. This sudden halt in human outdoor activities brought positive and negative impacts on forests and wildlife. We undertook a study to learn the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on wildlife and forests in the protected areas (PAs) of Nepal. Between July and September 2020, data on illegal activities recorded by the staff of PAs and also those reported by media were collected and analyzed. Key informant interviews (KII) were done with the park officers and security personnel by virtual communication (telephone, messenger app, and video call) to collect detailed information and for corroboration. The collected data were categorized into four groups: (a) wildlife killed, (b) wildlife injured, (c) arrest incidents related to forest crime, and (d) arrest incidents related to wildlife crime. Data from the fiscal year 2019–2020 were analyzed, comparing before lockdown and after. Among 20 PAs investigated during the lockdown, the study found substantial increases in wildlife death in two PAs, Banke National Park, and Bardia National Park. Similarly, Chitwan National Park (CNP) and Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park (SNNP) witnessed a rise in wildlife poaching. CNP and SNNP are located close to densely populated cities and also have human settlements in their peripheries. Wildlife was sighted freely roaming inside PAs during the lockdown, presumably because the absence of visitors and human activities during the lockdown decreased disturbance. Thus, the wildlife was enjoying the freedom of movement on the one hand, and on the other hand was threatened by poachers, many of whom were laid off from other activities and were taking advantage of the lapse in security.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 封锁使野生动物得以自由漫游，但增加了尼泊尔的偷猎威胁

为了遏制 COVID-19 的传播，包括尼泊尔在内的全球大多数国家/地区都实施了封锁或严格限制人们在其住所以外的活动，尼泊尔在 2020 年 3 月 24 日至 7 月 21 日期间观察到了全国封锁的第一阶段。这种突然停止在人类户外活动中给森林和野生动物带来了积极和消极的影响。我们进行了一项研究，以了解 COVID-19 封锁对尼泊尔保护区 (PA) 中的野生动植物和森林的影响。2020 年 7 月至 9 月期间，收集和分析了保护区工作人员记录的非法活动数据以及媒体报道的数据。关键线人访谈 (KII) 是通过虚拟通信（电话、信使应用程序、和视频通话）以收集详细信息并进行佐证。收集到的数据分为四组：（a）野生动物被杀，（b）野生动物受伤，（c）与森林犯罪相关的逮捕事件，以及（d）与野生动物犯罪相关的逮捕事件。分析了 2019-2020 财年的数据，比较了锁定之前和之后。在封锁期间调查的 20 个保护区中，该研究发现班克国家公园和巴迪亚国家公园这两个保护区的野生动物死亡人数大幅增加。同样，奇旺国家公园 (CNP) 和 Shivapuri Nagarjun 国家公园 (SNNP) 见证了野生动物偷猎的增加。CNP 和 SNNP 靠近人口稠密的城市，周边也有人类住区。在封锁期间，可以看到野生动物在保护区内自由漫游，大概是因为封锁期间没有游客和人类活动减少了干扰。因此，野生动物一方面享有行动自由，另一方面受到偷猎者的威胁，其中许多人被解雇并利用安全漏洞。