The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has created a profound crisis for conservation efforts in eastern and southern Africa as a result of the sudden cessation of all international travel in a region where nature-based tourism and conservation are closely interdependent.  The region’s unique wildlife populations and other natural assets — centered on spectacular landscapes such as the Serengeti and Okavango — underpin a multi-billion dollar 'wildlife economy' that has surged in recent decades. The growing economic value of wildlife tourism across the region has helped spur governments, private landowners, and local communities to all make growing space for wildlife through conservation areas and investments.