Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis has impacted the lives of the entire nation. As city residents faced lockdowns, they turned to their public parks and open space for respite from the confines of city living. Many residents sought solace in natural areas, wishing to hike, bird, and experience the sights and sounds of a forest during this fraught time. To understand the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the public use of natural areas and organizations' ability to care for them, we deployed a survey in May of 2020 to known partners in 12 US cities that are leaders in the management and care of urban natural areas. These cities represent a combined population of over 18 million people and collectively manage 284,906 acres of natural area parkland. We found that most organizations (83%) reported an increase in use of natural areas but concurrently 72% reported a decrease in the ability to care for natural areas during the pandemic. All organizations reported canceled public programs, and 94% saw a decrease in volunteer events. As these organizations look to the future, only 17% were confident in their organization having adequate funding in 2021. Cutting budgets to care for urban natural areas could have significant impacts on the health and sustainability of urban life. These 12 cities serve as examples of a pattern that could be occurring nationally and internationally. As cities reopen, budgets and priorities for the future will be determined as will the fate of resources to care for nature in cities.
Highlights
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the use of public green space increased, in urban areas (Geng et al, 2021)
It was observed that urban natural areas were offering respite to an increased number of city dwellers, but at the same time public programming and volunteer stewardship events were being canceled, all while city budgets were being adjusted in response to the crisis
The majority of cities (87%) had public parkland under some combination of closures or restrictions
Summary
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the use of public green space increased, in urban areas (Geng et al, 2021). The pandemic resulted in new restrictions, and work from home orders resulted in urban residents searching for opportunities to spend time outdoors, local parkland became increasingly more important to their daily lives or city residents. It was observed that urban natural areas were offering respite to an increased number of city dwellers, but at the same time public programming and volunteer stewardship events were being canceled, all while city budgets were being adjusted in response to the crisis. These events highlighted the importance of urban parkland, and how reliant their management is to local budgets and circumstances
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