ABSTRACT
The context of the socio-ecological systems that fashion urban ecology in towns and cities varies greatly between continents, between countries within a continent, between regions and provinces within countries, and from one urban administration to another. Xiangrong Wang explains how national and local government policies impinge on the provision and protection of urban greenspace in Shanghai. The loss of greenspace has been high in Accra and Kuala Lumpur, but both national and municipal policies endeavor to protect key areas and strengthen the development of urban greenspace networks. The role played by European Union environmental initiatives appears to be as important for urban ecology as it has been for rivers and coasts. This achievement provides a basis for examining how the urban ecology of the city has been protected and managed over the years by the local city authorities and for deriving notions of good practice to help other cities.
