Johannesburg's urban landscape is deeply
marked by the legacies of Apartheid. Socio-economically, it presents stark
divides between affluent suburbs and underdeveloped informal settlements or
“townships”, illustrating the extremes of wealth and poverty. These disparities,
combined with its ecological transformation into the 'World’s Largest Urban
Forest', make Johannesburg a compelling subject for understanding the interplay between biodiversity and socio-economic dynamics.