Abstract 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.

中文翻译：

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社交网络分析显示缺乏对绿地保护的支持

摘要 保留城市绿地对于确保城市保持宜居和弹性至关重要。然而，许多利益相关者通常不重视绿色空间。这意味着绿地通常会转化为其他土地用途。使用社交网络了解利益相关者如何互动和相互影响，越来越被认为是保护和可持续土地管理的关键工具。然而，很少在城市绿地保护的背景下研究社交网络。我们对撒哈拉以南非洲两个快速发展的城市中影响绿地保护的利益相关者进行了社会网络分析。我们应用了将视觉网络与定性访谈相结合的 Netmap 方法，并对参与城市规划和/或绿地管理的利益相关者进行了 23 次访谈。尽管非政府组织等利益相关者支持绿地保护，但分析表明，没有任何利益相关者积极保护绿地，同时具有足够的影响力来改变他人的计划或决策。利益相关者认为政府和传统领导人对绿地保护产生负面影响，或者充其量是混合影响。尽管其中一些利益相关者认识到绿色空间提供的多重好处，但他们仍受到开发土地的经济压力的强烈影响。缺乏有影响力的利益相关者的支持正在破坏非洲城市绿地的保护。为了解决这个问题，需要更好地了解改变对绿色空间的看法的方法。此外，应促进支持协作和协调的治理结构。共同开发和交流一个特定背景的证据基础，强调绿色空间对多个群体的全部经济效益，对于获得有影响力的利益相关者的支持也至关重要，从而确保撒哈拉以南非洲快速扩张的城市保护绿色空间。