Looking Through the COVID-19 Window of Opportunity: Future Scenarios Arising From the COVID-19 Pandemic Across Five Case Study Sites

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Isabell Richter¹  Jito Sugardjito³  Joel Sumeldan⁴  Quyen van Nguyen⁵  Hien Thuc Vu⁶  Wan Nur Syazana Wan Mohamad Ariffin⁷  Melanie C. Austen⁸  Arlene Avillanosa⁴  Victoria Cheung⁸  Hong Ching Goh⁷  Sofia Johari⁷  Susan Kay⁹  Carya Maharja³  Thu Hà Nguyễn^1,10  Sabine Pahl^1,11 

[1] School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom;Psykologisk Institutt, Norwegian University for Science and Technology;Centre for Sustainable Energy and Resources Management, Universitas Nasional;College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Western Philippines University-Puerto Princesa Campus;Faculty of Biology, Hanoi National University of Education;Vietnam Man and Biosphere Program National Committee, Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO;Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya;School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom;Plymouth Marine Laboratory, United Kingdom;Faculty of Social Work, Hanoi National University of Education;Urban and Environmental Psychology Group, University of Vienna

关键词: scenarios;    window of opportunity;    COVID-19;    sustainable development;    Southeast Asia;    coastal communities;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635686

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused (and continues to cause) severe disruption in global and local economies and has forced countries, societies, and individuals to adapt quickly to the unprecedented and unpredictable situations. Despite the obvious negative consequences of the pandemic, many have called for efforts to identify transformative opportunities for sustainable development throughout this disorderly time. In the present paper, we explore such potential opportunities in the context of an interdisciplinary, international research project, which is focusing on sustainable marine management in biosphere reserves and marine parks in Southeast Asia. During a virtual workshop conducted as part of the GCRF (Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund) Blue Communities Project, future scenarios were developed depicting the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on five case study sites. All of these sites are in areas of internationally recognized outstanding ecological value (Taka Bonerate Kepulauan-Selayar Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia; Tun Mustapha Park, Sabah, Malaysia; Palawan Biosphere Reserve, Philippines; North Devon Biosphere Reserve, United Kingdom; Cu Lao Cham-Hoi An Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam). At the macro-level, economies, governance structures, and societal norms are undergoing big changes. At the micro-level, the livelihoods, lifestyles, and backyards of local residents have to adapt. Collaboratively, we explored how COVID-19 posed challenges in our five case study sites, but we also focused on the potential COVID-19-related windows of opportunity for future sustainable development. Opportunities could be identified in all three pillars of sustainable development: the environment, the society, and the economy. Although remarkable similarities can be found across all five sites, we conclude that there cannot be a “one-size-fits-all” solution to turn the tide toward achieving sustainable development. Just as before the pandemic, sustainable development starts with engaging with and understanding local environments, challenges, and situations; building on local knowledge; and developing tailor-made solutions for the communities in situ .

【 授权许可】

CC BY