Governance of Urban Green Spaces across Latin America - Insights from Semi-Structured Interviews to Managers Amid COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to managers of urban green spaces. As suggested by findings from 18 structured interviews six Latin American countries reported in this paper, America have not been able take the most advantage available space during lockdown. At core inability is a governance characterized dependence on political will, lack continuity due nonexistence civil service, limited autonomy, insufficient budgets, absence formal paths fund themselves, shortage technical know-how, and citizens’ involvement. Thus, while criticism management spaces developed cities its focus recreational services —with no attention other ecosystem services—, heavily constrained funds that barely afford maintenance basic infrastructure exceptions we highlight manuscript. Consequently, across successfully implemented adaptation measures that, for instance, European counterparts —e.g. traffic management, information campaigns. In addition, these capabilities pose risk maladaptation. For many formally resorted full closure their premises lockdown but they enforced such closure, which likely undesirable effects more overcrowding than under controlled no-closure scenario. We provide public policy recommendations, list research questions specific —an understudied region when it comes both spaces, role pandemic.