Is nature as part of culture being forgotten in transnational greening initiatives?

Transnational organisations are responding to sustainability challenges in African cities by championing the integration of nature into urban environments. These Nature-based Solution (NbS) projects often address urban development challenges such as heat stress and flood-related risk mitigation. Researchers Rochell, Bulkeley and Runhaar conducted an analysis of publicly available information in English from 40 projects in 57 cities across 19 countries. They found common themes in how the projects were discussed and promoted and how some aspects of nature were missed.

The projects across different transitional actors and locations were often framed in terms of how nature can provide resilience and integrated benefits, such as employment, health, and environmental improvements. The analysis identified a lack of engagement with the role of nature in culture or simply the intrinsic value of nature itself. This gap in understanding the cultural value provided by nature presents an opportunity to enhance how initiatives are supported in communities. The integration of urban nature into cultural values can support the sustainability of a project and help nature flourish with the community’s support.

Transformative change is happening through these partnership projects, and this positive impact may be furthered if the cultural value and societal opportunities of urban nature are promoted alongside the utilitarian and anthropocentric perspectives. The paper emphasises the need for further conceptual and empirical research to understand how NBS are constructed in different contexts and the implications of these constructions (including literature published in other languages).

The paper calls for more investigations into the potentially conflicting promotional framing used by various actors, the governance of NBS projects, and the inclusion of local knowledge and values. Connecting NBS with the local context and cultural and societal benefits can promote the effectiveness, sustainability and integration of NBS to address specific sustainability challenges in urban African areas.

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Rochell, K., Bulkeley, H. and Runhaar, H., 2024. Different shades of green: how transnational actors frame nature as a solution to sustainability challenges in African cities. Local Environment, pp.1-17.

Read the full article, including the case studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13549839.2024.2353047

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