时代周刊:动物危机(3)（在线收听）

On Oct. 1, South Africa reopened its borders to some international tourists, but industry analysts predict that it could be a year or more before numbers rebound to prepandemic levels, leaving many reserves in the lurch.

10月1日，南非向一些国际游客重新开放了边境，但据业内分析人士预测，游客数量可能需要一年或更长时间才能回归新冠前水平，此前狩猎保护区只能面对潦倒局面。

The crisis may now be pushing wildlife managers to accelerate existing moves to diversify away from tourism and into alternatives like carbon offsets, Graham says. Large parks like Kruger and Masai Mara are carbon sinks as much as they are biodiversity reserves. Many large companies are committing to offset carbon emissions through forest protection and regeneration, and wildlife reserves could be the first to benefit.

格雷厄姆表示，这场危机可能会促使野生动物管理人员加快现有行动，从旅游业转向碳补偿等替代品行业。像克鲁格和马赛马拉这样的大型公园既是生物多样性保护区，也是碳汇区。许多大公司承诺通过森林保护和森林再生来抵消碳排放量，而野生动物保护区可能会是直接受益对象。

Craig Spencer, head warden of a semiprivate reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park, is not so sure it will be enough. Setting up reserves as carbon-capture zones without a focus on animal welfare might lead to the installation of wind turbines or solar panels that would be just as destructive to wild animals, he warns. Tourism at least preserved the landscape, he says, because even as tourists expect luxury, they demand a facade of true wilderness—no matter what props it up behind the scenes.

克雷格·斯宾塞是克鲁格国家公园附近一个半私人保护区的负责人，他不确定这样做是否可行。他警告说，如果不顾动物们的福利，把保护区建设成碳捕获区，安装风力涡轮机或太阳能电池板，这对野生动物同样具有破坏性。他说，旅游业至少保留了这里的景观，因为即使游客希望奢华，他们也需要一种真正的野性的外表——不管背后是什么在支撑。

Still, Spencer adds, the past few tourist-free months have been a blessing in disguise for wildlife. The rhinos are breeding, he says, and the hyenas too. Without the constant presence of human observers, the animals have regained a sense of freedom he hasn't seen for decades. "It's like they own the place again," he says. "If we could find a way to run these national parks without the need for this mass tourism, it would be obviously ideal, but I don't think that is doable. I think we need the tourism, whether we like it or not."

斯宾塞还表示，尽管如此，过去几个月游客的减少对野生动物来说是因祸得福。犀牛在繁殖，鬣狗也在繁殖。在不再被人类注视的情况下，动物们重获了一种自由感，这是他几十年来从未见过的。“就像是它们再次成为了这片土地的主人。”他说：“最理想的状态就是，我们能够找到一种方法，在不需要大量游客的情况下经营这些国家公园，不过我觉得这不可行。因为不管我们喜欢与否，我们需要旅游业。”