Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

So far, COVID-19 has caused the deaths of more than 3 million people worldwide, and that number could be significantly higher given how challenging it is to track every COVID-19 death. Despite this, it would make sense to assume that the natural world, at least, is getting a bit of a break. A world in which humans are traveling far less should offer major environmental benefits. But is wildlife really benefitting from the pandemic?

One major and predominately positive benefit of the pandemic for wildlife is less human travel. Due to the significant reduction in journeys, fewer people are hitting and injuring or killing wildlife on roadways. In addition, fewer ships are traveling through the world’s waterways and oceans for shipping, fishing, aquaculture, and tourism purposes. A reduction in water travel and activity could reduce the risk of ships striking and injuring or killing marine animals. It may also reduce the marine disruption that occurs due to noise pollution from ships, fishing sonar, and recreational boats. Birds might also be benefitting from the sharp decline in air travel, which may have vastly reduced the risk of bird strikes. People are also reporting seeing wildlife in unexpected places, such as in large cities and commercial harbors. The increased number of animals in urban environments is likely due to reductions in human presence, air and water pollution levels, and noise pollution.

However, some studies have also found that the pandemic may actually be causing harm to wildlife. In one study, researchers found that reduced human disturbance relating to lockdown has benefitted invasive alien species by interrupting the actions that people were taking to control them. The authors also claim that pandemic restrictions have reduced the work of conservation and law enforcement organizations that care for wildlife and protected areas. Some experts also worry that economic hardship in low income countries may lead to an increase in natural resource exploitation, such as unlicensed logging and the illegal wildlife market, as people run out of ways to earn a living.

The word “them” in paragraph 3 refers to __________.