Abstract Body

Human-nature relationships are a critical part of sustainable cities, supporting the health and wellbeing of urban socio-ecological systems. As awareness of this issue grows, urban environmental justice and urban green equity are increasingly entering the sustainable cities discourse. As we strive to build greener and more sustainable cities, there is increasing acceptance that we need to build cities with and for diverse urban communities, both human and non-human. One of the dominant frameworks driving sustainability and urban environmental justice discourses is that of ecosystem services. However, ecosystem services have been criticized for prioritizing unidirectional human-nature relationships and failing to recognize alternative ways of knowing.

This research presents biocultural diversity as an alternative framework for environmental justice analysis and action. Drawing on media and document analysis, and interviews with key urban forest actors, we examine the concept of biocultural diversity as a grounding for urban environmental justice via a case study of Vancouver, Canada. The research tracks the biocultural diversity in Vancouver’s urban forest and the development of its key biocultural discourses. Despite the presence of dominant sustainability discourses focused on “Vancouverism” and ecosystem services, results highlight a diversity of biocultural relationships, including opportunities for intercultural learning and sites of conflict. Building on the biocultural diversity framework, we present a path forward towards a more just and sustainable urban future, based on recognitional equity and mosaic governance systems.