Embracing Daily Dose of Nature: The Shanghai Habitat Garden Network
The Shanghai Habitat Garden Project develops multifunctional community gardens that restore urban biodiversity and provide habitats for over 90 wildlife species. Launched in 2017, the initiative integrates nature into daily life, enhances local ecology, and promotes community engagement, self‑governance, and inclusion across Shanghai.
Subject Tags
- Nature-based solutions
- Community-based conservation
- Biodiversity
Abstract
The Shanghai Habitat Garden Project in Shanghai, China, was launched in 2017. As a practical action for the conservation and restoration of urban biodiversity under the Shanghai Conservation Project by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the habitat garden project is committed to working with partners to create multifunctional community gardens and green spaces in order to provide urban wildlife with more and better habitats. Concurrently, the project aspires to enhance the quality of the ecological environment for neighboring communities by integrating nature into people’s daily lives. This integration is intended to facilitate the growth of diverse plants and animals within the gardens, thereby transforming them into accessible natural habitats. In November 2019, the first habitat garden was completed in Hongxu Community. By 2023, a network of 24 habitat gardens had been established, providing food, water, and shelter for more than 90 wildlife species. In addition to safeguarding urban biodiversity in accordance with scientific principles, the project also encourages community self-governance and diversity and inclusion through the organization of a diverse range of community activities held within the gardens. This article examined the concept of the habitat garden and provide an overview of the development of the Shanghai habitat garden project.
Citation
Yu, L., & Wu, J. (2026). Embracing Daily Dose of Nature: The Shanghai Habitat Garden Network. In Ethnobiology and Development in Asia: The Belt and Road Initiative, Volume 2 (pp. 323-345). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
TNC Authors
-
Linlin Yu (Contractor)
Shanghai Project Director • China
The Nature Conservancy
Email: linlin.yu@tnc.org -
Jingbin Wu
The Nature Conservancy