Public perceptions and willingness to pay for urban forests' ecosystem services: evidence from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Research on urban forests has been gaining prominence in the Global South, including in Malaysia. This study examined respondents' perceptions of ecosystem services (ES) and their willingness to pay (WTP) for the conservation of three purposively selected urban forests in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It also explored the relationship between respondents' characteristics, ES perceptions and WTP. Data collection was guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, contingent valuations and structured questionnaire. Most respondents had moderate to good knowledge of ES, while 77% had never heard of payment for ES (PES). Age, education, studentship, frequency of visits, knowledge of ES, and PES were significant predictors of ES perceptions. Respondents showed WTP and to contribute to urban forest conservation. However, only knowledge about PES was significantly associated with their intention to pay for urban forest conservation. Recommendations are made to improve people's knowledge about PES for enhancing their willingness to finance forest conservation.