Untangling the motivations of different stakeholders for urban greenspace conservation in sub-Saharan Africa

Guenat, Solène; Dougill, Andrew J.; Kunin, William E.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2019.100904

Cited by 24 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In general, the importance of regulating services in Sub-Saharan Africa are relatively well known compared to other ecosystem sections (Du Toit et al, 2018). Protection of regulating services might therefore provide a consensus message across the population (Guenat et al, 2019). Cultural services were also mentioned by most stakeholders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The additional societal benefits that were identified could further contribute to improving greenspace planning, conservation and management by illustrating a greater range of incentives to underpin stakeholder engagement and, therefore, strengthen greenspace planning, conservation and management (Costanza, 2000;Schmidt et al, 2016). For instance, crime tends to be associated with degraded and poorly maintained greenspaces, and negative perceptions of crime in greenspaces is common across Africa (Shackleton and Blair, 2013;Guenat et al, 2019). There is therefore a clear societal benefit of improving greenspace management so that perceptions of crime are subsequently likely to decrease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Across sub-Saharan Africa the available evidence suggests that greenspaces, and their associated ecosystem services can be valued by urban populations for a variety of reasons depending on the local context, the socio-economic status of the population and the extent to which the population actively uses the greenspaces (Shackleton et al, 2015;Guenat et al, 2019). In common with high-income countries, cultural ecosystems services, such as space for recreation and aesthetics, are considered important (Adekunle et al, 2013), though residents hold different values for greenspaces that are perceived to have different functions, such as playgrounds or nature parks (Tibesigwa et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In common with high-income countries, cultural ecosystems services, such as space for recreation and aesthetics, are considered important (Adekunle et al, 2013), though residents hold different values for greenspaces that are perceived to have different functions, such as playgrounds or nature parks (Tibesigwa et al, 2020). Provisioning services, including urban agriculture or wood provision, can take on greater significance in some contexts (Shackleton et al, 2015;Du Toit et al, 2018), while regulating and maintenance services, such as shade provision and urban heat island mitigation are particularly prominent (Dumenu, 2013;Guenat et al, 2019). As there is such a diversity of viewpoints understanding which stakeholders perceive which benefits and how to best target them for involvement is critical.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unpacking Stakeholder Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges Associated With Urban Greenspaces in Sub-Saharan Africa

Guenat

Lopez

Mkwambisi

et al. 2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Urban greenspaces underpin ecosystem service provision in cities and are therefore indispensable for human well-being. Nevertheless, they are increasingly disappearing from cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding how the stakeholders influencing urban greenspace management perceive the benefits provided by urban greenspaces and the challenges to its conservation and management is critical for reversing this trend. Using Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe, as a case study, we conducted 44 semi-structured interviews to explore the profiles and perceptions of stakeholders who currently hold influence over greenspace planning, conservation and management. Stakeholders with influence over urban greenspace management described the main focus of their organisation as relating to urban planning, natural resources protection and management, development work, or the hospitality business sector. Critically, only a third of all stakeholders focused on natural resources protection and management. Stakeholders had nuanced and varied appreciations of the benefits that greenspaces provide. Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services, as well as cultural services were frequently mentioned. However, provisioning services were mostly mentioned by those in development work. Stakeholders also identified an additional suite of societal benefits that do not directly map onto ecosystem service frameworks, such as the generation of financial income and the provision of employment opportunities. Challenges identified as hampering the planning, conservation and management of greenspaces included inappropriate urbanisation, lack of coordination and participation, and population growth. Lack of coordination was however not widely acknowledged among those focusing on natural resources protection, who conversely identified population growth more often than any other groups. Highlighting how stakeholders with varying priorities perceive ecosystem services a first step towards improving greenspaces management both for their better acceptation and for improving their potential for biodiversity conservation. Specifically, we bring attention to need for stakeholders working with natural resources protection to recognise more the need for collaborations and engagement. Additional research is also necessary to understand how those different perspectives might be integrated into ongoing processes and procedures to manage greenspaces in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Unpacking Stakeholder Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges Associated With Urban Greenspaces in Sub-Saharan Africa

Guenat

Lopez

Mkwambisi

et al. 2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

Self Cite

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“…In common with high-income countries, cultural ecosystems services, such as aesthetic appreciation and providing space for recreation, are important (e.g., Tibesigwa et al, 2020). However, provisioning services, including urban agriculture, can take on greater significance in some contexts (du Toit et al, 2018), while shade provision and urban heat island mitigation are particularly relevant (Guenat et al, 2019a).…”

Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of Cross-Sector and Cross-Level Policy Coherence and Consistency Limits Urban Green Infrastructure Implementation in Malawi

Afionis

Mkwambisi

Dallimer

2020

Front. Environ. Sci.

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The quality, quantity and accessibility of urban greenspaces and green infrastructure offer multiple benefits for city dwellers, the environment and urban sustainability. Green infrastructure provides a wide range of environmental, social, cultural, climate change adaptation, and mitigation benefits. However, for green infrastructure to do so, it needs to be integrated into national policy and city-planning strategies in ways that recognize its value and importance. Consequently, consistency and coherence between policy sectors and levels is essential. The more prominent urban green infrastructure is in national level policy, the easier it will be to ensure coherence and consistency between sectors and levels, as well as avoid national and local initiatives hindering each other's effectiveness. Integrating urban green infrastructure into planning processes should be a priority for all cities, but even more so for those in sub-Saharan Africa, which are undergoing rapid expansion. Here we focus on Malawi, one of the most rapidly urbanizing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We collated and reviewed national-level and city-level policies and strategies, ranging from housing to transport to biodiversity, in order to determine, based on vertical and horizontal integration processes, whether urban greenspaces and green infrastructure have been incorporated into planning and management priorities. We found little evidence that urban greenspaces and green infrastructure are incorporated into national-level decision-making processes. In contrast, promoting and enhancing urban greenspace and green infrastructure was a priority in planning and strategy documents produced by the Lilongwe and Mzuzu City Councils. Better institutional coordination and policy coherence across national level sectors that affect urban greenspaces and green infrastructure is required if their multiple benefits are to be realized.

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Exploring shared public perspectives on biodiversity attributes

et al. 2021

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Untangling the motivations of different stakeholders for urban greenspace conservation in sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 24 publications

References 35 publications

Unpacking Stakeholder Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges Associated With Urban Greenspaces in Sub-Saharan Africa

Unpacking Stakeholder Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges Associated With Urban Greenspaces in Sub-Saharan Africa

Lack of Cross-Sector and Cross-Level Policy Coherence and Consistency Limits Urban Green Infrastructure Implementation in Malawi

Exploring shared public perspectives on biodiversity attributes

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