The best way to avoid future pandemics? Protect the natural world

May 16, 2020

A general view shows tourists on the sandy beaches outside the Seychelles capital Victoria January 17, 2009. The Indian Ocean islands are in the midst of a severe economic crisis, prompted by the global financial downturn on top of years of unsustainable borrowing. This year, the Seychelles economy is predicted to shrink by at least 0.5 percent according to the country's central bank, compared to 3.1 percent growth in 2008. Picture taken January 17, 2009. To match feature SEYCHELLES-CRISIS/ REUTERS/Richard Lough (SEYCHELLES) - GM1E51R1H1601

The Seychelles will protect 410,000 square kilometers of its oceans from commercial use. Image: REUTERS/Richard Lough

Enric Sala

Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society, Member of Friends of Ocean Action and Champions for Nature

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The growth in protected area coverage on land and in the ocean between 1990 and 2018. Image: Protect the Planet Report 2018

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