Commoning of open access resources through urban foraging stewardship

Urban wild plant foragers employ stewardship practices to urban vegetation and habitats, although they do not have jurisdiction over the land they forage. This goes against the predictions of Collective Action Theory, which suggests that natural resources are prone to degradation in the absence of clear ownership and user groups. In this article, we explore this phenomenon and the mechanisms that may explain the concerted collective action of urban foraging stewardship. We find that commoning — the emergence of a community-of-practice — is central to urban foraging stewardship and identify two different ways in which community is created. Intentional commoning involves the creation of institutions as spaces for exchange, and unintentional commoning involves the synchronization of knowledge and practices as a copycat phenomenon. We argue that a better understanding of commoning in urban foraging stewardship might provide insights for enhancing the management of urban green spaces and ensuring more sustainable and healthy cities. • Urban dwellers adopt stewardship practices when foraging wild plants. • Urban foragers’ stewardship practices challenge collective action theory expectations. • In this context, commoning emerges in adverse conditions for collective action. • Understanding commoning processes may enhance urban green space management.