"It'll take another year or two to measure how much it's gone back to the pre-pandemic state. "The most important legacy from the pandemic lockdowns we could hope for is simply an increased awareness of the value of nature, and choosing to remember and reflect on the joy and pleasure we got, as we move forward into our new lives," said Koper. In Canada, the economic drop in gross domestic product was 18 percent just within the first two months of lockdown in early 2020. The rate at which that happens - and anything else - will be determined by how we go about our work and leisure activities in the long term. "Eventually, more people starting to do what they do is going to once again counteract that increase," she said. But due to the increases in some populations, more frequent sightings and encounters may last a while longer, she said. Manitoba hiking trails, canoe routes and backcountry campsites feel the pandemic effectĪs for fauna, she doesn't expect the animal kingdom to keep roaming the cities - at least not so obviously.Manitoba campsite reservations surge on opening day amid glitches, hours-long waits.Those shifts "won't be as large as the changes during the lockdown, but that doesn't mean there aren't any changes at all." "There is tremendous potential in that context of reducing our ecological footprint," she said. Remote work and virtual meetings "have fundamentally and permanently changed" the way many people work, which means less travel, Koper said. There are signs many things are already different. "It's OK if some folks go back to 'before.'" Signs of change "We don't need every single person to change their lifestyle," Koper said. In fact, fundamental changes can be made if just five to 10 per cent of the population adjusts to make conscious choices to protect the environment, said Koper. "I think that's important motivation - to see that your changes can make an impact." Many issues, particularly around climate, require longer and more systemic change than a couple of years of scaling back emissions, said Casson. But perhaps people saw enough change over those two years to recognize "every incremental action that we take helps," she said. THE NATURE OF THINGS: Nature’s Big Year.Video Look up: More bald eagles soaring in Manitoba skies, says expert "One of the things important to me to reiterate about action on climate change is it's not an all-or-nothing situation," said Casson, who is also the Canada Research Chair in environmental influences on water quality. There was never any doubt society would need to emerge from isolation and reboot the economy, but there's no reason to believe that means the end of Mother Nature's renaissance, she said. "I am someone who has a lot of optimism about human capacity for change," said Nora Casson, an associate professor at the University of Winnipeg and co-director of the university's Prairie Climate Centre. So will it, or is there a rapacious rush to return to everything we once did and had? Many were optimistic this could be a climate reset, proof of vast improvements with a co-ordinated effort - a moment environmentalists hoped would open our eyes to more mindful, altruistic behaviour in our post-pandemic life. "We can immediately improve our environment." 'Optimism about human capacity for change' What it all showed was that "if we chose to change our behaviour, then a lot of species would benefit from that right away," said Koper.
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