Paper short abstract:

Undomesticated city and suburban spaces have long formed part of the urban commons, but their more-than-human uses, values and management have changed dramatically over time. This paper applies the commonisation-decommonisation framework to the history of wild nature in Perth, Western Australia.

Paper long abstract:

Undomesticated city and suburban spaces have long formed part of the urban commons, but their more-than-human uses, values and management have changed dramatically over time. This paper applies the commonisation-decommonisation framework to the history of urban wild nature in Perth, Western Australia. Since the settlement became recognisably ‘urban’ in the late 19th century, remnant bushland has formed part of both traditional ‘old commons’, in the form of commonage lands held for community use, and ‘new commons’, in the form of urban nature reserves and national parks that provide climate, biodiversity and recreational benefits. A complex matrix of factors including economic transition, class interests and ascendency, scientific knowledge, and the rise of environmentalism account for the timing and forms of commonisation and decommonisation of these ecosystems. The paper concludes with thoughts on how this history can inform the development of sustainable and participatory institutions for managing bushland as urban commons into the future.