The significance of urban forests and green spaces is unquestionable, yet their maintenance is frequently hindered by the conflicting interests of various actors and power imbalances. Unfortunately, despite the vast recognition by many scholars that power is central to resource management, the subject has not received deserving attention in urban forestry and green spaces studies. This paper bridges this knowledge gap. It explores the actors, interest and power in urban forest and green spaces management as well as the sources of power of the various actors and what mechanisms do actors use to exert power and influence on the management of urban forest and green spaces. Relying on the actor-centered power (ACP) framework and a case study design, about 32 key informants and 396 urban residents were interviewed in the study. The research findings of the paper unveiled that various actors have interest in urban forest and green spaces for the ecosystem services and the problems they bestow on humanity. However, power is not uniformly distributed among the various actors who exert influence through a variety of mechanisms, including coercion and dominant information from which power is observed. The resultant effects were conflicting managerial roles and responsibilities for green spaces management affecting the sustainability of such space. By recognizing that power is dynamic but not solely concentrated within formal institutions but distributed among various actors with diverse interests and capacities, we recommend a more inclusive approach to urban forests and green spaces management. It necessitates the need for inclusive and transparent governance structure that consider the needs and dynamics of actors to ensure sustainable and equitable urban forest and green space management.

中文翻译：

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城市森林和绿地管理中的参与者和权力分析。来自西非花园城市的见解


城市森林和绿地的重要性毋庸置疑，但它们的维护经常受到各种参与者的利益冲突和权力不平衡的阻碍。不幸的是，尽管许多学者广泛认识到权力是资源管理的核心，但该主题在城市林业和绿地研究中并未得到应有的关注。本文弥合了这一知识差距。它探讨了城市森林和绿地管理中的参与者、利益和权力，以及各种参与者的权力来源，以及参与者利用哪些机制对城市森林和绿地的管理施加权力和影响。依靠以行为者为中心的权力 （ACP） 框架和案例研究设计，研究中采访了大约 32 名关键信息提供者和 396 名城市居民。该论文的研究结果揭示了各种行为者对城市森林和绿色空间的兴趣，因为生态系统服务以及它们给人类带来的问题。然而，权力并不均匀地分布在通过各种机制施加影响的各个行为者之间，包括胁迫和观察权力的主导信息。由此产生的结果是绿色空间管理的管理角色和责任相互冲突，影响了此类空间的可持续性。通过认识到权力是动态的，但不仅仅集中在正式机构内部，而是分布在具有不同利益和能力的不同参与者之间，我们建议对城市森林和绿地管理采取更具包容性的方法。 它需要建立包容和透明的治理结构，考虑参与者的需求和动态，以确保可持续和公平的城市森林和绿地管理。