Public perception on urban forestry and willingness to pay for urban tree management in Kathmandu Metropolitan city

1. Introduction and Environmental Context

Rapid, unplanned horizontal urbanization within Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has progressively systematically compromised municipal open green spaces, triggering exacerbated thermal heat anomalies, acute particulate air pollution, and microclimatic degradation. While urban forestry functions as a stabilizing ecological infrastructure capable of absorbing carbon dioxide, reducing dust, and filtering particulate matter , its implementation in Nepalese municipalities operates under highly constrained public financial frameworks. Sustainable development of municipal canopies demands a transition toward co-management paradigms. This empirical study investigates the socio-ecological baseline of KMC by quantifying public perception across environmental, social, and economic dimensions, calculating community Willingness to Pay (WTP), and identifying structural institutional misalignments.

2. Methodology

This research implemented a quantitative cross-sectional social survey design (N = 110) targeting residents and urban space users across KMC. Data collection utilized a mixed-mode sampling approach: an online canvas administered via Google Forms (n = 40) paired with random physical field questionnaires (n = 70) executed across major roadside corridors, institutional properties, and public parks.

Primary datasets were processed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Descriptive statistics characterized baseline demographic parameters and payment vector distributions. Inferential cross-tabulations and non-parametric Chi-Square (χ²) tests of independence evaluated the directional relationships between socio-economic determinants and stated WTP.

3. Ecosystem Service Value vs. Institutional Trust Deficit

The descriptive data establishes a pronounced divergence between high public valuation of urban vegetation and structural dissatisfaction regarding municipal stewardship. Composite mean scoring models categorizing perception levels into distinct analytical thresholds (Low: 1.00 – 2.33; Moderate: 2.34 – 3.67; High: 3.68 – 5.00) reveal that 0% of the sample population fell into the low perception index.

• Ecosystem Service Valuation: Public perception was strongest regarding the social and aesthetic outputs of trees (e.g., pedestrian shade, mental recovery, urban beauty), closely followed by environmental mitigation services (e.g., air purification, dust filtration). Long-term economic returns, such as property value enhancement, achieved a moderate-to-high perception baseline.
• The Management Disconnect: Despite this uniform ecological appreciation, a clear trust deficit was identified. Specifically, 65.5% of respondents declared clear dissatisfaction with the current condition of public trees, while 48.2% noted that municipal authorities only pay attention to necessary arboricultural maintenance (e.g., pruning, watering, hazard mitigation) “occasionally.”

4. Contingent Valuation and Willingness to Pay (WTP) Metrics

Contingent valuation metrics reveal that attitudinal appreciation successfully translates into a quantified economic commitment. In total, 57.3% of respondents expressed explicit willingness to pay regular monthly fees to fund a specialized urban tree management system.

Stated Amount and Distribution

Among the sub-sample willing to contribute (n = 63), the mean monthly WTP was calculated at NPR 257.14 (SD = 193.20). The reported payment spectrum ranged from a minimum baseline of NPR 100.00 to a maximum limit of NPR 1,000.00 per month. The high standard deviation highlights substantial polarization in individual asset valuation across diverse city-user classes.

The primary driver for financial commitments was urban aesthetic enhancement (35.5%), followed by environmental quality improvement (26.4%). Conversely, individuals unwilling to pay cited absolute household financial constraints or asserted that urban tree care remains the exclusive fiscal responsibility of the state.

Chart 1: Contingent Valuation Vector (Willingness to Pay Distribution)

The following interactive canvas visualization isolates the primary binary distribution of public willingness to pay within the study sample:

5. Inferential Socio-Economic Analysis

To understand the underlying microeconomic drivers of financial commitments, non-parametric Chi-Square testing evaluated dependencies across structural socio-economic variables:

• Gender Divergence (χ² = 8.125, df = 1, p = 0.004): Evaluated as highly significant. Female respondents displayed a higher baseline frequency of WTP, with 72.0% indicating a willingness to contribute, compared to only 45.0% of male respondents. However, among those explicitly willing to pay, males stated a higher absolute mean monthly amount (NPR 311.11) than females (NPR 216.67).
• Educational Stratification (χ² = 29.103, df = 4, p < 0.001): Identified as the strongest predictor of financial commitment. Stated WTP correlates dynamically with academic achievement: 90.0% of respondents holding a Master's degree or above supported the financing system , contrasting sharply with a mere 9.1% affirmative response rate from individuals at or below the SEE completed threshold.
• Income Elasticity (χ² = 14.618, df = 4, p = 0.006): Stated WTP demonstrated typical environmental commodity behavior relative to household income levels. The highest earnings tier (Household income > NPR 100,000 monthly) yielded the highest absolute mean WTP profile at NPR 450.00 per month, while the lowest-earning group (NPR 20,000–40,000) dropped to a mean baseline of NPR 109.09.
• Occupational Variations: Salaried institutional blocks - including government employees (91.7% WTP, Mean WTP = NPR 318.18) and NGO/INGO professionals (100% WTP, Mean WTP = NPR 271.43) - voiced robust systematic support. Conversely, day-wage laborers exhibited 0.00% capacity to participate due to clear absolute economic vulnerabilities.
• Age Generalization (χ² = 3.652, df = 4, p = 0.455): Statistical markers confirm that age group variations are not significant determinants of WTP within KMC.

6. Institutional Policy Recommendations

The data highlights that the primary obstacle to expanding urban forests in Kathmandu is not a lack of public interest, but rather an administrative execution bottleneck and a corresponding lack of public trust. When evaluating funding deployment pathways, residents explicitly rejected rigid, compulsory municipal tax additions (selected by only 17.3%). Instead, 34.5% endorsed a flexible voluntary donation framework, and 20.9% supported decentralized neighborhood or community-managed funds.

Chart 2: Public Funding Mechanism Preferences

The horizontal matrix below delineates the institutional pathways trusted most by Kathmandu's urban residents:

Based on these configurations, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City authority should pursue three main strategies:

1. Transition away from blanket, top-down mandatory green taxes: Given the identified trust deficit, compulsory mechanisms are likely to face considerable public resistance.
2. Establish transparent, ward-level voluntary urban forestry trust funds: These micro-funds allow citizens to verify localized capital investments directly within their immediate neighborhoods, ensuring accountability.
3. Incorporate adaptive equity clauses: Financing systems must protect vulnerable socio-economic demographics. Lower-income groups should be integrated into municipal greening through non-monetary, participatory co-management models - such as localized voluntary maintenance networks and public neighborhood tree guardianship programs.