One year after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, IUCN published its latest PARKS journal - an issue devoted to COVID-19 and its effects on the natural world, parks, and people. The special issue comprises 11 peer-reviewed papers and 14 essays that bring together the knowledge and findings of numerous experts from all parts of the world, supported by several wide-ranging surveys and Naturvation contributing evidence. The resulting global synthesis of experience answers some key questions: Why did the pandemic occur? What has it meant for protected and conserved areas, and the people that depend on them? What were the underlying reasons for the disaster we now face? And how can we avoid this happening again? Despite applauding the international efforts to combat the disease, the authors suggest that humanity urgently needs to devote as much effort to addressing the root causes of the pandemic – our fractured relationship to nature. Unless we repair it, humanity will face consequences even worse than this pandemic. Download the full special issue here: https://bit.ly/3bNTFDQ