Urban National Parks In Emerging Countries & Cities - UPA - Urban ...

In Emerging Countries & Cities
SANJAY GANDHI NATIONAL PARK - MUMBAI, INDIA
Sometimes expanding to subsume neighboring communities, at
other times yielding to over 200,000 slum-dwellers living within
its territory, the SGNP is a densely-forested protected area
embedded in the fast-growing metropolitan area of Mumbai
(pop. ~20 million). A recent High Court ruling ordered the
eviction of all informal residents from park land — an event
with multiple unintended consequences for people and
ecosystems alike. Increasing human-leopard conflicts, an
ageing tourist infrastructure, contradictory visions over the
future of adivasi (tribal) settlements in the park, imbalanced predator-prey
relationships, urban flood-mitigation potential and the overriding question
of how the poor can realise their “right to the city” in the world’s densest
metropolis – all contribute to an exceedingly complex social-ecological
system.
NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK - NAIROBI, KENYA
Situated 7 km from central Nairobi, this
protected area marks the northern limit
of seasonal wildlife migration from some
2000 km² of semi-arid savanna. Along the
park’s northern and eastern boundaries, an electric fence
separates the urban and industrial growth of the capital city
from the formally protected area within. To its south, the park remains
unfenced, allowing free movement of wildlife into the broader ecosystem.
However, as Nairobi continues to grow, land around NNP is increasingly
coveted for uses incompatible with conservation. Early pressure was
concentrated on the park’s urban-facing boundaries, but recent years have
seen increased activity in the southern plains – historical home of Maasai
pastoralists. Owing to a shared need for open spaces, the future of their
traditional practices is deeply tied to the viability of this migratory corridor
for wildlife.
UNPEC:
A Learning Partnership
In close collaboration with local park and city managers, interdisciplinary
teams of researchers will undertake three waves of fieldwork in each site,
punctuated by three international meetings:
Rio de Janeiro –2012 // Cape Town – 2013 // Paris – 2014
Above: National park boundaries shape urban expansion (Nairobi) CROSS-CUTTING THEMATIC AREAS
Tijuca National park
The Emergence
A defining characteristic of emerging economies is the sharpening of social
and spatial contrasts that arise from evolving lifestyles and economic
and cultural disparities. Cities are the vanguard of this transformation,
which inevitably yet unevenly reshapes the relationship of urban people
with urban nature. With special attention to the linkages between local,
national and global scales, UNPEC aims to understand and articulate the
implications of “emerging city” models and discourse across the socioeconomic
spectrum.
Boundaries & Flows
Though each of these protected areas most often exhibits clearly demarcated
boundaries, multiple flows across these lines (wildlife, water, revenue,
people, etc.) mark a deep interdependence with their respective urban
hosts. UNPEC will characterize the nature, perceptions and consequences
of these flows.
Urban Solutions / Natural Solutions
Just as protected areas can support the ecosystem services essential to
meet the needs of cities, the actions of urban people and institutions
shape the management of these protected areas. UNPEC will explore the
nature of these dynamics.
Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EbA)
Climate change has direct consequences both for the health of natural
systems and the well-being of urban people. UNPEC studies the role of
protected areas in local adaptation and urban resilience.
*The maps on this page illustrate the four protected areas at identical
scale – though totally removed from their urban contexts. An important
aim of UNPEC will be to contextualize these spaces as intrinsic components
of the cities that have grown in their midst.
TABLE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Just as urban Cape Town continues to expand, its
emblematic national park also continues to acquire new
land. Informal settlements and wealthy communities
increasingly exert pressure on City and Park alike.
Though largely unfenced, several important crossborder
flows into this protected area structure its
interaction with the city: TMNP is a major driver of the
local tourist economy, yet City authorities explicitly
covet the direct revenue it generates; meanwhile,
disputes over management of human-baboon
conflict predominate an otherwise robust and unique
mechanism for bilateral management.
TIJUCA NATIONAL PARK - RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
Tijuca National Park, with the statue of Christ as symbol of
Rio de Janeiro, is both the smallest and most
visited in Brazil. Beyond its contributions to
the local tourist economy, this protected area
also ensures the balance of the local climate, while
providing them with spaces for recreation, cultural and
spiritual expression. On the park’s boundaries, however,
expanding slums and wealthy communities exert direct pressure on the
forest’s ecological integrity, while persistent urban violence threatens its
recreational potential. Given these deep interdependencies, municipal
officials and park managers work on reducing urban impacts on the
forest while still promoting a social-environmental balance along their
boundaries through collaborative management.