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Assessing the legacy effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on insect pollinator biodiversity
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DOI：10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111937.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns provided a unique opportunity to assess the impact of human activities (HmA) on insect pollinator biodiversity (Bdv) by examining HmA across the pre-pandemic (2017–2019), lockdown (2020–2021), and post-pandemic (2022–2024) phases. This study utilized data for over 1200 insect pollinator species, including more than one hundred thousand occurrence records across the tropical and subtropical regions of southern China. HmA was represented by NO2 and Nightlight (Lgh), while biodiversity was quantified using Shannon (Shn), Simpson (Sim), and Pielou's (Pi) indices. Results showed a significant (p < 0.001) increase in species richness and Shn diversity of insect pollinators during lockdown and post-pandemic phases. Similarly, the NO2 indicator of HmA showed a significant reduction (p < 0.001) during lockdown. The enhanced vegetation index (EVI) showed significant increase (p < 0.001) during lockdown which coincided with spatial expansion of high biodiversity. All the Bdv indices showed a strong interrelationship (r = 0.54–1.00), consistent with coherent biodiversity responses across metrics. Structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that lockdown-related declines in HmA indirectly improved Bdv through EVI (a × b = −0.026), with EVI acting as a significant mediator (p < 0.05). However, this indirect pathway weakened substantially after restrictions were lifted (a × b = −0.003), indicating that the biodiversity gains were short-lived. Model fit statistics (CFI/TLI ≈ 1; RMSEA ≤ 0.01; SRMR ≈ 0.03) confirmed robust representation of ecological pathways. Our findings demonstrate that temporary reductions in anthropogenic pressure supported measurable but transient improvements in pollinator biodiversity. These results highlight the sensitivity of pollinator communities to land-use pressure and emphasize the need for sustained, vegetation-focused management strategies to maintain biodiversity gains beyond short-term reductions in HmA.
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