Social network analysis reveals a lack of support for greenspace conservation

TY - JOUR

T1 - Social network analysis reveals a lack of support for greenspace conservation

AU - Guenat, Solène

AU - Dougill, Andrew J.

AU - Dallimer, Martin

N1 - Funding Information: We thankful all participants for their time, D. Owusu for assistance, M. Yeboah for transcriptions and P. Antwi-Agyei (KNUST) and M. Derkyi (UENR) for facilitation, and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. The research was funded by the NERC SPHERES DTP (grant number 1652284) and by funding from the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP, grant number ES/K006576/1). Funding Information: We thankful all participants for their time, D. Owusu for assistance, M. Yeboah for transcriptions and P. Antwi-Agyei ( KNUST ) and M. Derkyi (UENR) for facilitation, and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. The research was funded by the NERC SPHERES DTP (grant number 1652284 ) and by funding from the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP, grant number ES/K006576/1 ). Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2020/12

Y1 - 2020/12

N2 - Retaining urban greenspaces is essential to ensure that cities remain liveable and resilient. However, greenspaces are usually given a low priority by many stakeholders. This means that greenspaces are often converted to other land-uses. Using social networks to understand how stakeholders interact, and influence one another, is increasingly acknowledged as a key tool in conservation and sustainable land management. Nevertheless, social networks are rarely studied in the context of urban greenspace conservation. We carry out a social network analysis of stakeholders affecting greenspace conservation in two fast growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa. We applied the Netmap method, which mixes visual networks with qualitative interviews, and carried out 23 interviews with stakeholders involved in urban planning and/or greenspace management. Although stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations were supportive of greenspace conservation, analyses revealed that no stakeholders actively protect greenspaces while having sufficient influence to change the plans or decision-making of others. Stakeholders thought that government and traditional leaders had negative, or at best, mixed impact on greenspace conservation. Even though some of these stakeholders recognised the multiple benefits that greenspaces provided, they were strongly influenced by economic pressures to develop land. A lack of support amongst influential stakeholders is undermining the conservation of greenspaces in African cities. To redress this, a better understanding of ways to change perceptions of greenspaces is needed. Additionally, governance structures that support collaboration and coordination should be promoted. Co-developing and communicating a context-specific evidence-base which emphasises the full economic benefits of greenspaces for multiple groups will also be essential to gain the support of influential stakeholders, and thus ensure that rapidly expanding cities in sub-Saharan African conserve greenspaces.

AB - Retaining urban greenspaces is essential to ensure that cities remain liveable and resilient. However, greenspaces are usually given a low priority by many stakeholders. This means that greenspaces are often converted to other land-uses. Using social networks to understand how stakeholders interact, and influence one another, is increasingly acknowledged as a key tool in conservation and sustainable land management. Nevertheless, social networks are rarely studied in the context of urban greenspace conservation. We carry out a social network analysis of stakeholders affecting greenspace conservation in two fast growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa. We applied the Netmap method, which mixes visual networks with qualitative interviews, and carried out 23 interviews with stakeholders involved in urban planning and/or greenspace management. Although stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations were supportive of greenspace conservation, analyses revealed that no stakeholders actively protect greenspaces while having sufficient influence to change the plans or decision-making of others. Stakeholders thought that government and traditional leaders had negative, or at best, mixed impact on greenspace conservation. Even though some of these stakeholders recognised the multiple benefits that greenspaces provided, they were strongly influenced by economic pressures to develop land. A lack of support amongst influential stakeholders is undermining the conservation of greenspaces in African cities. To redress this, a better understanding of ways to change perceptions of greenspaces is needed. Additionally, governance structures that support collaboration and coordination should be promoted. Co-developing and communicating a context-specific evidence-base which emphasises the full economic benefits of greenspaces for multiple groups will also be essential to gain the support of influential stakeholders, and thus ensure that rapidly expanding cities in sub-Saharan African conserve greenspaces.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85089553331&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103928

DO - 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103928

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85089553331

SN - 0169-2046

VL - 204

JO - Landscape and urban planning

JF - Landscape and urban planning

M1 - 103928

ER -