Race in nature stewardship: an autoethnography of two racialised volunteers in urban ecology

Abstract Urban nature stewardships can connect people to nature in their neighbourhood, foster a sense of belonging and citizenship, and increase well-being and place-making. This article examines how race intersects with urban nature stewardship, via a critical autoethnography by two co-authors who are racialised volunteers, Black and South Asian, in stewardship projects. Race is centered as a unit of analysis. In Toronto, Canada, racialised people are the majority of the population but are noticeable by their absence in nature stewardships and the broader environmentalism. Most urban nature stewardships operate on a colour-blind approach which masks how systemic racial inequities shape stewardship projects at the personal, place-making, and ecological levels. The article is illustrated by stewardship in tree planting and community gardens as urban ecology restoration projects. It concludes with some recommendations on how to engage racialised volunteers in nature stewardship.