As so much of the world remains on lockdown, countless people are yearning to return to their favorite outdoor destinations.  But with the vast majority of National and State parks, beaches, hiking trails and public recreation areas closed, nature is seeing unprecedented benefits. Popular wilderness areas are having the chance to heal in the absence of tourist traffic, and wildlife is beginning to venture increasingly into urban neighborhoods. This unexpected side effect of the global pandemic could serve as an opportunity to change the way humans interact with nature. 

In Yosemite National Park, visitors can take a serious toll on the resident black bears. Tourists who violate park rules and feed bears can cause them to seek out human contact, creating potentially dangerous animals who must be “hazed” to discourage them from approaching populated areas. Speeding visitors also kill a number of bears on Yosemite’s roads every year.

But since the park’s closure in March, park rangers are reporting a spike in bear sightings and a positive change to bear behavior. Yosemite park officials have stated the bears are “having a party” in Yosemite Valley, which is typically crowded with tourists this time of year. Though traveling on roads can usually be a death sentence for bears, the animals have been seen using paved roads to get around in the park. During a Facebook live event a Yosemite ranger stated that “bears also seem to be a little more relaxed when they are out in the open, possibly because it is much quieter in the park right now.”

Videos of wild boars roaming through European cities are garnering a buzz on social media, and sightings of urban wildlife such as raccoons, coyotes and wild turkeys have increased throughout the U.S. In South Africa’s Kruger National Park, a pride of lions were spotted snoozing in the middle of a road- according to the park’s Twitter, this particular pride is typically seen in a region of the park where tourists cannot visit, but the lions have become emboldened in the absence of humans. 

While wildlife everywhere is receiving a much-needed break, wild spaces themselves are also getting the chance to heal. In February and March of last year, California experienced a rare “super bloom” of poppies, creating vibrant scenes of orange flowers exploding on lush green hillsides. Selfie-seeking tourists trampled the protected poppies, wandering off designated trails and causing permanent damage to natural areas across the state. The city of Lake Elsinore in Southern California eventually had to close down super bloom hotspot Walker Canyon entirely, citing unruly and disrespectful tourists as simply being too difficult to contain.This year an abundance of rain in Southern California has caused beautiful poppy blooms, but tourists are unable to visit and cause damage. 

Seeing the benefits that a lack of unruly visitors has had on wild spaces could inspire people to respect these areas in the future, making a greater effort to stay on designated trails, pack out trash, and refrain from feeding wildlife, speeding on roads, and other harmful behavior. If outdoor sightseers choose to interact with nature in a more respectful manner, wild spaces could continue to maintain the health they have gained during the lockdown.