Conservation needs to evolve to survive in the post‐pandemic world

The conservation of biodiversity—and the vital ecosystem services it generates—is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, yet the field faces drastic funding cuts as society realigns its priorities in the face of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Here, we argue that diverting attention from conservation would, however, increase the risk of further global health crises because the emergence of novel infectious diseases is partially driven by global environmental change. As the discrepancy between conservation needs and society's willingness to pay for them grows, conservation will have to evolve to stay relevant in the age global change‐induced human infectious disease.