摘要：Rapid global urbanization and the knowledge that ecological systems underpin the future sustainability andresilience of our cities, make an understanding of urban ecology critical. The way humans engage with ecological processeswithin cities is highly complex, and both from a social and ecological perspective these engagements cannot be interpretedmeaningfully on the basis of a single timeframe. Historical analyses offer useful insights into the nature of social-ecologicalinteractions under diverse conditions, enabling improved decision-making into the future. We present an historical review ofthe evolving relationship between the urban settlement of Cape Town and the ecological processes inherent to its naturalsurroundings. Since its establishment, the people of Cape Town have been acutely aware of, and exploited, the natural resourcespresented by Table Mountain and its surrounding wilderness area. An examination of this pattern of engagement, exploredthrough an ecological process lens, in particular drawing on the terminology provided by the ecosystem services framework,reflects a journey of the changing needs and demands of a growing urban settlement. Ecological processes, and their ensuingflow of ecosystem services, have been exploited, overexploited, interrupted, reestablished, conserved, and variably valuedthrough time. Processes of significance, for example water provision, soil erosion, the provision of wood and natural materials,and the role of fire, are presented. This historical analysis documents the progression from a wilderness to a tamed and largelybenign urban environment. Evident is the variable valuing of ecosystem service attributes through time and by different people,at the same time, dependent on their immediate needs
关键词：ecological history; ecosystem services; City of Cape Town; social ecological systems
