How does the beach ecosystem change without tourists during COVID-19 lockdown?

Macrolitter and microplastics along the East Pacific coasts - A homemade problem needing local solutions

The East Pacific (EP) region, especially the central and southern EP, has been fairly less studied than other world's regions with respect to marine litter pollution. This comprehensive literature review (257 peer-reviewed publications) showed that both macrolitter (mostly plastics) and microplastics tend to accumulate on EP shorelines. Moreover, they were also reported in all the other compartments investigated: sea surface, water column, seafloor and 'others'. Mostly local, land-based sources (e.g., tourism, poor waste management) were identified across the region, especially at continental sites from low and mid latitudes. Some sea-based sources (e.g., fisheries, long-distance drifting) were also identified at high latitudes and on oceanic islands, likely enhanced by the oceanographic dynamics of the EP that affect transport of floating litter. Our results suggest that effective solutions to the problem require local and preventive strategies to significantly reduce the levels of litter along the EP coasts.

The COVID-19 pandemic "anthropause" decreased plastic ingestion in neotropic cormorants Nannopterum brasilianus in Lima, Peru

Background

The anthropause during the recent COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the impact of human activity on seabirds. Lockdowns in Peru prevented people from visiting coastal areas, thereby reducing garbage disposal on beaches and the movement of microplastics into the ocean. This cessation of activities likely led to a temporary decrease in plastic pollution in coastal regions. We aimed to investigate this phenomenon in inshore-feeding neotropic cormorants (Nannopterum brasilianus) along the Circuito de Playas Costa Verde (CPCV), situated on the coastal strip of Lima, Peru (∼ 11 million people).

Methods

We collected and analyzed fresh pellets along the CPCV before (over 11 months) and during the pandemic lockdowns (over 8 months).

Results

Our findings revealed a significant reduction in the occurrence of plastic in pellets during the pandemic period (% Oc = 2.47, n = 647 pellets) compared to pre-pandemic conditions (% Oc = 7.13, n = 800 pellets). The most common plastic debris item found in the pellets was threadlike microplastic. Additionally, our study highlights the direct correlation between human presence on beaches and the quantity of microplastics (mainly threadlike) found in cormorant pellets. We suggest that the reintroduction of these materials into the sea, previously accumulated on the coast, is likely facilitated by the movement and activity of beachgoers toward the ocean.

Affectation of COVID-19 pandemic on the use and abundance of wild resources in Tabasco, Mexico: A qualitative assessment

Southern Mexico is particularly rich in natural resources, yet unemployment has risen to 8% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effect of the pandemic on the use and abundance of Tabasco's wild resources was examined through personal surveys. By using Microsoft Forms® with cell phones 1,963 surveys were collected. Cronbach's alpha, Z-value, and chi2 were calculated using the MAXQDA Analytics Pro program. A higher abundance of wild resources before the pandemic than today (57% vs. 11%) was observed. During the pandemic, people referred more to a high use (28%) of resources than to a low use (20%). This caused the low abundance or scarcity of wild products to be greater during the pandemic than before the pandemic (43% vs. 4%). Wild foods and timber were the most used products. The pandemic has produced a greater use of natural resources probably due to the high unemployment rate in rural areas. Future studies of wild products should address the relevant products in the locality and their even sampling. Finding suitable respondents is highly recommended.

Citizen scientists study beach litter along 12,000 km of the East Pacific coast: A baseline for the International Plastic Treaty

Anthropogenic Marine Litter (AML) accumulating on beaches causes damage to coastal ecosystems and high costs to local communities. Volunteers sampled AML on 130 beaches along the central and southern East Pacific coasts, with AML densities ranging from 0.46 to 2.26 items m-2 in the different countries. AML composition was dominated by plastics and cigarette butts, the latter especially in Mexico and Chile. The accumulation of AML in the upper zones of the beaches and substantial proportions of cigarette butts, glass and metal pointed mainly to local sources. Statistical modelling of litter sources on continental beaches revealed that tourism, access and related infrastructure (e.g. parking lots) best explained AML densities, while plastic densities were also influenced by the distance from river mouths and national Gross Domestic Product. Large-scale monitoring can be a useful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of public policies that should primarily focus on land sources.

The impact of the anthropause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on beach debris accumulation in Maui, Hawai'i

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions led to a considerable reduction in tourism and human activity on Maui, presenting a unique opportunity to study debris accumulation on local beaches during changing levels of human activities. Standardized daily debris accumulation surveys were completed at two beach sites in Maui, Hawai 'i before (2017) as well as throughout the initial year of the pandemic (2020-2021) and allowed for the assessment of pandemic-related restrictions on marine debris accumulation trends. Throughout the pandemic, reduced beach use due to higher lockdown levels had significant impacts on debris accumulation at both sites, but only one of the two sites experienced a significant decrease (~ 90% reduction) in debris accumulation rates when compared to the same months in 2017. Daily accumulation rates across two sites increased from an average of 16 items/100 m during peak lockdown levels to 43 items/100 m when restrictions eased. The observed fluctuations in debris accumulation rates, driven by changes in tourism and travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize the importance of proactive measures to protect the natural environment, including source reduction and effective legislation for waste prevention. By addressing both local and remote sources of debris and focusing on reducing waste at its source, it is possible to mitigate the impacts of debris accumulation on coastal environments and marine life in Hawai'i.

High-resolution app data reveal sustained increases in recreational fishing effort in Europe during and after COVID-19 lockdowns

It is well recognized that COVID-19 lockdowns impacted human interactions with natural ecosystems. One example is recreational fishing, which, in developed countries, involves approximately 10% of people. Fishing licence sales and observations at angling locations suggest that recreational fishing effort increased substantially during lockdowns. However, the extent and duration of this increase remain largely unknown. We used four years (2018-2021) of high-resolution data from a personal fish-finder device to explore the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on angling effort in four European countries. We show that relative device use and angling effort increased 1.2-3.8-fold during March-May 2020 and generally remained elevated even at the end of 2021. Fishing during the first lockdown also became more frequent on weekdays. Statistical models explained 50-70% of the variation, suggesting that device use and angling effort were relatively consistent and predictable through space and time. Our study demonstrates that recreational fishing behaviour can change substantially and rapidly in response to societal shifts, with profound ecological, human well-being and economic implications. We also show the potential of angler devices and smartphone applications for high-resolution fishing effort analysis and encourage more extensive science and industry collaborations to take advantage of this information.

Beach litter in three South American countries: A baseline for restarting monitoring and cleaning after COVID-19 closure

The COVID-19 pandemic caused that most countries established the closure of many beaches, affecting the scientific monitoring of thousands of coastal sectors. This article shows the status of beach litter in South America before and after COVID-19 closure. The data were obtained during the years 2019, 2020 and 2022 on 25 beaches using a technique BLAT-QQ. The results show that cigarette butts were the most frequent type of litter, meanwhile Brazil should improve cleanliness of general gross litter and gross polystyrene. Colombia gross vegetation litter and small vegetation litter, and Ecuador organic litter from animals. The results shown in qualitative and quantitative manner facilitate their understanding for managers, scholars and activists interested on beach litter monitoring. This baseline is useful to analyse regional and worldwide marine litter trends with the purpose to start or restart monitoring of tourist beaches from a science-based method.

The presence of COVID-19 face masks in the largest hypersaline lagoon of South America is predicted by urbanization level

The inadequate disposal of face masks has caused a widespread presence of COVID-19 litter in the environment. We monitored 10 beach arcs along approximately 15 km of the largest hypersaline lagoon of South America looking for face masks during the lockdown (2021) and in the "new normal" (2022) period. Our working hypothesis is that the probability of finding face masks increases with higher urbanization levels, which was estimated by the Human Modification Metric. Approximately 3 × 10^-3 face masks m^-2 were found on nine of 10 beaches (90 %) during the lockdown. However, this reduced to 1 × 10^-4 face masks m^-2 found in eight beaches (80 %) after the lockdown. The probability of finding a face mask was significantly higher as urbanization increased (z = 2.799; p = 0.005). This situation imposes the need for a better waste management and environmental education actions, targeting the reduction of direct littering on coastal ecosystem.

Public views on tourist beach environment from multinational countries and ensuing changes during global epidemic

The continuous endemic of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus brought a halt to the world's activities from February 2020. Our study intends to gauge public perceptions on the consequences of post-pandemic changes on the marine environment, particularly as they are related to tourist beach amenities. Totally, 16 nations' knowledge and views on various environmental viewpoints over the effects of epidemic were gathered through public polls live on social media during social confinement in 2020. The results indicate that around 85% of respondents were most concerned about the alarming sights of widespread plastic trash and the increase of dangerous biomedical wastes through wastewater in the marine ecosystem. The outcomes of this study will undoubtedly aid in the establishment of a management strategy and for future studies on the consequences of any epidemic on the beaches.

Has the "Covid-19" lockdown an impact on beach faunal communities? The central Atlantic coast of Morocco as a case study

The restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a global hiatus in anthropogenic activities; several scientists have utilized this unique opportunity to assess the human impact on biological systems. In this study, the study describes for a period of five years (2018-2022) how the faunal community have been affected by human disturbances, as well as the effect of the "anthropause" period driven by the COVID-19 lockdown. The results confirmed human disturbances on faunal communities related to coastal urbanization. It was found that the "anthropause" period showed the highest values of abundance and biomass, hence the "COVID-19 lockdown" allowed recovery of faunal communities. The findings highlight the impact of human disturbances and that the community showed resilience. Overall, the authorities must perform restrictive measures aiming to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic activities in the study area including the banning of off-road and recreational vehicles, carrying out efficient cleaning and grooming operations, monitoring the severe harvesting of edible species, as well as penalizing the disposal of anthropogenic waste and sewage discharge from the touristic facilities. Likewise, management actions such as the temporal beach closures and the regular surveillance could be advantageous to provide a more sustainable exploitation of sandy beaches.

A systematic scoping review of environmental and socio-economic effects of COVID-19 on the global ocean-human system

The global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has strongly affected human lives. The restrictions taken to slow down the spread of the virus impact socio-economic activities and the environment. A comprehensive review of these COVID-19 impacts on the ocean-human system is lacking. The current study fills this gap by synthesizing the environmental and socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global ocean by conducting a systemic scoping review of 92 published articles. From a geospatial perspective, the studies covered a total of 37 countries, mainly from Asia, Europe, and North America, with a particular focus on the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. From an environmental perspective, both positive and negative effects on global oceans were summarized. Notably, improved coastal water quality and reduced underwater noise were reported. On the other hand, the increasing COVID-19-related medical waste such as personal protective equipment leads to severe pollution, which threatens the marine ecosystem and wildlife. From a socioeconomic perspective, the impacts of the pandemic were negative throughout with marine tourism and the fishery industry being severely disrupted. Coastal communities suffered from loss of income, unemployment, inequalities and health problems. The COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity for transformation of management and economic practices in order to save our ocean and boost progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14). Future research should include other sectors such as marine biodiversity, marine renewable energy, climate change, and blue economy development of Small Island Developing States. Effective policies and strategies across land and ocean around the world need to be developed and implemented to enhance resilience of the human-ocean system and to achieve post-pandemic global sustainable ocean development.

Avian behaviour changes in response to human activity during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom

Human activities may impact animal habitat and resource use, potentially influencing contemporary evolution in animals. In the United Kingdom, COVID-19 lockdown restrictions resulted in sudden, drastic alterations to human activity. We hypothesized that short-term daily and long-term seasonal changes in human mobility might result in changes in bird habitat use, depending on the mobility type (home, parks and grocery) and extent of change. Using Google human mobility data and 872 850 bird observations, we determined that during lockdown, human mobility changes resulted in altered habitat use in 80% (20/25) of our focal bird species. When humans spent more time at home, over half of affected species had lower counts, perhaps resulting from the disturbance of birds in garden habitats. Bird counts of some species (e.g. rooks and gulls) increased over the short term as humans spent more time at parks, possibly due to human-sourced food resources (e.g. picnic refuse), while counts of other species (e.g. tits and sparrows) decreased. All affected species increased counts when humans spent less time at grocery services. Avian species rapidly adjusted to the novel environmental conditions and demonstrated behavioural plasticity, but with diverse responses, reflecting the different interactions and pressures caused by human activity.

The effects of COVID-19 transmission on environmental sustainability and human health: Paving the way to ensure its sustainable management

The transmission dynamics and health risks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are inextricably linked to ineract with environment, climate, air pollution, and meteorological conditions. The spread of COVID-19 infection can thus perturb the 'planetary health' and livelihood by exerting impacts on the temporal and spatial variabilities of environmental pollution. Prioritization of COVID-19 by the health-care sector has been posing a serious threat to economic progress while undermining the efforts to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for environmental sustainability. Here, we review the multifaceted effects of COVID-19 with respect to environmental quality, climatic variables, SDGs, energy resilience, and sustainability programs. It is well perceived that COVID-19 may have long-lasting and profound effects on socio-economic systems, food security, livelihoods, and the 'nexus' indicators. To seek for the solution of these problems, consensus can be drawn to establish and ensure a sound health-care system, a sustainable environment, and a circular bioeconomy. A holistic analysis of COVID-19's effects on multiple sectors should help develop nature-based solutions, cleaner technologies, and green economic recovery plans to help maintain environmental sustainability, ecosystem resilience, and planetary health.

Recovery of ghost crabs metapopulations on urban beaches during the Covid-19 "anthropause"

The majority of government authorities initially responded to COVID-19 pandemic by declaring lockdown to facilitate social distancing and minimize virus spreading. This period termed "anthropause" provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the recovery of wildlife in the absence of stressors on urban ecosystems. We assessed whether the anthropause associated with beach closures during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in repopulation of the Atlantic ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) on urban beaches. For this purpose, we compiled a historic dataset (2013-2019) of the ghost crab density and performed biweekly burrow measurements from June/2020 to May/2021. Recovery of ghost crab metapopulation during the lockdown occurred even in more human-modified beaches. Burrow abundance significantly increased in urban sectors, but not in control site along with the time of pandemic. The reduction in the mean burrow opening diameter during this period evidenced that young metapopulation have thrived on urban beaches when recreational activities ceased. Our results show that urban beaches should not be exclusively managed for recreational purposes. Initiatives with a focus on wildlife conservation including spatial-temporal controlled beach closures may increase the biodiversity resilience.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on solid waste pollution in the worldwide iconic Copacabana Beach (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Total and partial restrictions to beach access during COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity to evaluate its effect on coastal pollution. We aimed to determine the impact of access restrictions on solid waste pollution at Copacabana beach, Brazil. Solid waste amount was analyzed considering beach access restrictions: unrestricted, total closure, partial restriction, new normal. Relationships of atmospheric temperature and precipitation with access restrictions were assessed and confounding effects controlled for further analyses. Beach access restrictions significantly reduced solid waste pollution at Copacabana beach, beach closure reduced waste amount in 72 %. Partial restrictions and new normal periods have significantly reduced solid wastes amount on the beach in 60 % and 36.88 %, respectively. Qualitative data revealed that most of solid wastes were single-use plastics recently disposed at Copacabana beach, reflecting beachgoer's effects on waste left on the beach. A positive impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions was detected on solid waste pollution at Copacabana beach.

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on aquatic environment and fishing community: Boon or bane?

COVID-19 pandemic is a serious threat for mankind having an extensive socio-economic impact. However, it is considered as an unfortunate event with some positive environmental effects where nature is retrieving itself. The water quality index in different places of the world was reported to be improved during the lockdown, which in turn whipped up the regenerative process of fishes, sea turtles, marine mammals, and aquatic birds. Additionally, ecologically sensitive areas such as mangroves and coral reefs were also seen rejuvenating during COVID-19 seal off. But these favourable implications are temporary as there is an unexpected surge in plastic waste generation in the form of PPE kits, face masks, gloves, and other healthcare equipment. Moreover, the outbreak of the pandemic resulted in the complete closure of fishing activities, decline in fish catch, market disruption, and change in consumer preference. To address these multidimensional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, government organizations, NGOs, and other concerned authorities should extend their support to amplify the positive impacts of the lockdown and reduce the subsequent pollution level while encouraging the fisheries sector.

Contrasting tourism regimes due to the COVID-19 lockdown reveal varied genomic toxicity in a tropical beach in the Southern Atlantic

Tourist occupancy in coastal environments threatens the stability of various coastal ecosystems and is thus a cause for concern for the environmental sector. As such, it is important to perform environmental monitoring in a way that analyses and quantifies the environmental impact of coastal ecosystems. Porto de Galinhas beach (Pernambuco - Brazil) has one of the highest visitation rates in Brazil and suffered from restrictions to human mobility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These restrictions allowed for the evaluation of the impact of tourism on Porto de Galinhas beach and the effects that the lack of tourist occupancy had during the lockdown period of 2020. Blood samples from the species Abudefduf saxatilis were collected monthly over a period of 1 year and during the lockdown quarter, in order to perform micronucleus (MN) and nuclear morphological alteration (NMA) tests, and data were analyzed at a seasonal level (dry/rainy period) using a comet assay. For the control group, A. saxatilis samples were collected in an environmentally protected area on Tamandaré beach (68 km from Porto de Galinhas). The MN and NMA tests showed a greater frequency of genomic damage when there was greater tourist flow. In relation to rain seasonality, the comet assay showed a greater incidence of genomic damage during the dry period, where there was a higher rate of tourist migration, compared to the rainy period. The lockdown period presented a lower incidence of genotoxic damage compared to the period without restrictions on human mobility and the control. The results show that tourism has been causing a significant environmental impact on Porto de Galinhas beach. The data collected during the lockdown period demonstrated how the absence of human movement results in changes that are favorable to environmental recuperation, as illustrated by the lower frequency of genomic damage.

Resource management: ways to sustain the environmental gains of COVID-19 lockdown

Natural resources are under constant exploitation due to industrialization and urbanization. Ecological disturbance caused by over exploitation of resources is one of the possible reasons for the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the highly infectious nature of this disease, countries across the world have taken self-imposed isolation measures such as lockdown, quarantine, curfew, etc., to limit human-to-human spread. Though this pandemic has shaken the world and left millions suffering, it has also caused surprising positive effects to environment. Due to reduced human pressure on ecosystems during the lockdown, betterment of air, water quality and biodiversity along with reduced consumption of natural resources have been reported. It is necessary to maintain this improvement in order to avoid the environmental benefits slipping away once the world limbs back to normalcy. The benefits acquired in terms of resource conservation prompt us to avoid unnecessary human interference and adopt sustainable life styles. Wide usage of information and communication technologies (viz. work from home, teleconferencing, e-learning and e-commerce) during the pandemic revealed their potential in meeting the needs of human livelihood and played a significant role in improvement in air quality and reduced resource consumption. Implementing them should be a policy measure during an environmental crisis. Active government involvement is necessary for coordinating institutional and policy aspects of resource conservation. Smooth transitioning to more sustainable post-COVID world thus requires coordinated action at individual, local, national and international levels. Restoring environmental resources is essential to prevent future pandemics.

Implications of COVID-19 pandemic on environmental compartments: Is plastic pollution a major issue?

The COVID-19 anthropause has impacted human activities and behaviour, resulting in substantial environmental and ecological changes. It has assisted in restoring the ecological systems by improving, for instance, air and water quality and decreasing the anthropogenic pressure on wildlife and natural environments. Notwithstanding, such improvements recessed back, even to a greater extent, when considering increased medical waste, hazardous disinfectants and other chemical compounds, and plastic waste disposal or mismanagement. This work critically reviews the short- and long-term implications of measures against COVID-19 spreading, namely on human activities and different environmental compartments. Furthermore, this paper highlights strategies towards environmental restoration, as the recovery of the lost environment during COVID-19 lockdown suggests that the environmental degradation caused by humans can be reversible. Thus, we can no longer delay concerted international actions to address biodiversity, sustainable development, and health emergencies to ensure environmental resilience and equitable recovery.

An overview on metal pollution on touristic sandy beaches: Is the COVID-19 pandemic an opportunity to improve coastal management?

The worldwide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 caused an unprecedented lockdown measures in most countries with consequences on the world society, economy, and sanitary systems. This situation provided an opportunity to identify the effects of human confinement on natural environments, like touristic sandy beaches, which are stressed due to anthropogenic pressures. Based on previous articles about heavy metals sources and levels in these ecosystems, this paper discusses the dynamic of these pollutants and a regulatory scenario associated with COVID-19 sanitation policies. The main findings suggest that 39% of the studies were on Asian sandy beaches, 16% from Europe, while America and Africa with 23% each. Also Co, Cd, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb, Ni, Fe and Mn were the most frequently analyzed metals in sediments and in several cases their concentrations exceed international guidelines assessment. Finally, even though beaches are under several metals inputs, tourism plays a key role in these ecosystems quality. After analyzing the potential indirect effect of COVID-19 measures on metals dynamics, we propose some key recommendations and management strategies to mitigate heavy metal pollution on sandy tourist beaches. These proposals are useful for decision-makers and stakeholders to improve sandy beach management, mainly those beaches not addressed from a management perspective; and their implementation should be adapted according to the regulations and legislation of each country.

Qualitative and Quantitative Beach Cleanliness Assessment to Support Marine Litter Management in Tropical Destinations

In addition to its ecological and recreational relevance, beach cleanliness is also one of the five most important aspects (i.e., the “Big Five”) for beach visitors around the world. Nonetheless, few efforts have been carried out to guide the sound management of this rising issue. This paper presents a quantitative and qualitative method to assess the level of beach cleanliness, in order to allow managers to focus their attention on the environmental management of the most frequent and relevant types of litter in tropical areas. In a first step, a survey on users’ perception was applied to 361 beachgoers in eight beaches in Colombia to identify the most relevant types of beach litter and the weighting factors to obtain quantitative calculations. In a second step, the thirteen categories of litter identified were analyzed in relation to beach cleanliness, origin of litter, and environmental impact, to define its individual weighting importance. Some categories were also selected according to particularities of tropical countries, such as the presence of abundant natural vegetation debris and gross polystyrene items, largely transported by rivers in great quantities. In a third step, the method was then tested at eight beaches in the Caribbean coast of Colombia through a period of four months, during which 192 transect samplings were carried out. The qualitative module of the proposed technique, named Beach Litter Assessment Technique—Qualitative and Quantitative (BLAT-QQ), identified the main types of beach litter and the quantitative module gave an overview on the state of beach cleanliness. The method is demonstrated to be quick and effective in diagnosing beach cleanliness, providing a simple instrument to carry out sound environmental management actions in coastal destinations.

Beach tourists behavior and beach management strategy under the ongoing prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of Qingdao, China

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has led beach tourism to a complete halt in January 2020, disrupting millions of livelihoods and businesses. Due to the economic importance of beach tourism, many governments reopened tourist beaches after the number of confirmed cases decreased. It is essential to open beaches orderly to meet the needs of tourists, maintain beach's health and restore coastal economy under the new reality. This paper selected Qingdao in China as a case study, drew on a questionnaire survey among beach tourists, summarized the effects of the COVID-19 on beach tourism industry and tourism enterprise, analyzed beach tourists' psychology and behavior, and developed beach management strategy under the ongoing prevention and control of COVID-19. The results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused severe damage to beach tourism which bases on travel and mobility, and this industry was temporarily suspended. With the changing epidemic situation, beach tourism witnessed a gradual recovery from stagnation to local tourism. Meanwhile, tourism enterprises were hit by the devastating impact of the COVID-19, causing problems such as business reduction, tense cash flow, high operating cost and unclear market prospect. Under the normalization of pandemic prevention, tourists did not have severe fear and anxiety about the pandemic, and placed great importance on the prevention and control measures, emergency measures and pandemic risk level of the beach destination. The pandemic also reshaped the perception and mode of beach tourism. Ecological tourism, travelling with family, and local tourism became the primary choices for tourists. Beach congestion, health status, and the quality of tourism services were the biggest concerns for tourists. Additionally, social media and short video APP became the new marketing channels. Finally, beach management strategies were proposed from the aspects of pandemic prevention and control, emergency management, information communication, tourist management, service management, and environmental management.

COVID lessons from the global south – Face masks invading tourist beaches and recommendations for the outdoor seasons

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been extensively used, and discarded PPE has been observed in many different environments, including on tourist beaches. Here we examined the distribution and densities of face masks on some of the main tourist beaches in Chile, and we monitored their daily accumulation rates on one beach in northern-central Chile. Face masks were found on beaches across the country with average densities of 0.006 ± 0.002 (mean ± se) face masks m⁻², which are higher than densities reported on Peruvian beaches, but lower than those on some Kenyan beaches. Face masks were also found on more remote beaches and rocky shores in northern-central Chile. Daily accumulation rates on one tourist beach were low during austral fall/winter (0.2 face masks km⁻¹ d⁻¹), but were over ten times higher during austral summer (3.0 face masks km⁻¹ d⁻¹). These values are substantially higher than daily accumulation rates reported from urban streets, which is most likely due to the high densities of beach visitors during the summer tourist season. COVID-19 related infrastructure (signposts and PPE waste bins) was present on most beaches, but while signposts about personal protection were abundant, there were few signposts about littering, and only one of the 12 beaches sampled for COVID infrastructure had a signpost that offered recommendations about the proper disposal of used face masks. Specific waste bins for PPE waste were only available at three beaches. Based on these findings it is recommended to provide sufficient PPE-related signs and waste bins, establish general and strict waste disposal regulations, and to improve enforcement. Educational campaigns should aim at recommending proper use and disposal of face masks, litter prevention, reduction of single-use waste and enhanced pro-environmental behaviors.

Nature, COVID-19, disease prevention, and climate change

When COVID-19 arrived, usual human activity around the world paused or slowed, and nature responded to the opportunity. Even in major urban areas, people remarked on the clearer, crisper, star- brightened night skies. This issue's collection of interesting papers provides insights into ways the natural world responded, but it would seem worthwhile to take a step back and frame that phenomenon in its intellectual and epidemiological context.

Assessing threats, regulations, and strategies to abate plastic pollution in LAC beaches during COVID-19 pandemic

Plastic use and production have dramatically increased globally over the past 65 years with the improvement of life quality by the daily use of plastic products. Still, around 50% of the plastic produced is disposable products that generate substantial waste. Several reports pointed out the adverse effects of plastic litter in coastal environments in recent years, emphasizing single-use plastics (SUP). In this manner, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) coastal environments are highly vulnerable due to wastewater treatment facilities scarcity and poor plastic waste management strategies. Since COVID-19 pandemic, the single-use plastic waste/person rate is expected to rise due to the use of personal protective equipment and SUP as health care measures. Based on literature research and the review of plastic waste regulations, this paper will assess the main COVID-19 plastic pollution threats and LAC beaches' regulations to suggest possible measures to abate this problem. The main findings suggest that unifying the ongoing fragmented and overlapped policies is key to abate plastic pollution, including plastic industry regulations and circular economies. In addition, increasing public risk perception about plastic pollution is critical to reducing plastic waste generation. Research advances in the adverse effects of plastic debris could improve the public's perception of plastic pollution risk, pushing forward global marine plastic governance.

Recommendations for coastal planning and beach management in Caribbean insular states during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has implications for coastal planning and management. Rules for isolation and physical distancing, among other measures for human life protection, have led to the closure of most beaches around the world. The present critical situation has raised the following question: How can some recommendations be designed in sun, sea, and sand tourism-dependent-insular countries to face "the COVID-19 new normality?" We used the content analysis technique to analyze representative publications on a global level to ascertain information on best management practices. A survey of 58 experts provided additional information. We used inferential statistics for sample selection and produced a list of 43 practices and beach planning and management actions to face the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to 27 new recommendations designed for beach planning and management within insular contexts, some of which were tested in the Republic of Cuba. Recommendations aim to guarantee a culture of safety and improvement within the field of beach or coastal planning and management. These recommendations should prove useful for other insular countries, during the COVID-19 period, in the new normality that follows, and in other post-pandemic scenarios.

New Beach Landscapes to Promote Social Distancing and Coastal Conservation during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic that has altered practically all human activities worldwide. Since the pandemic started at the beginning of 2020, infections have fluctuated drastically over time. It is difficult to predict how this situation will evolve in the coming months/years or when a return to some semblance of 'normal' activity might occur. Because of global lock-up and distancing measures, the beaches, otherwise filled with tourists, first emptied and then had a reduced density of visitors owing to a wide variety of social-distancing measures. Therefore, new safety protocols need to include a wide range of aspects, such as epidemiological conditions, socioeconomic realities, and ecological contexts in which the pandemic occurs. Here, we propose new nature-based landscapes for sandy beaches to help maintain the social distancing of beach visitors while beaches and dunes are restored. When sufficient sediment is available, the maintenance and restoration of healthy beaches with incipient dunes and vegetation will help reduce contagion, promote human health, and recover natural ecosystems.