Strategies and policies for sustainable urban tree management in emerging economies: The case of the integrated urban tree protection framework

Motivation The world is urbanizing rapidly and it is estimated that by 2050 about 70% of the world's population will consist of city dwellers. The urbanization trend is even more pronounced in emerging economies such as India. Rapid urbanization has significant adverse environmental impacts and is causing widespread loss of urban trees. Purpose In developing countries, there is an urgent need to balance rapid and large‐scale urban development trajectories with robust mechanisms for protecting, preserving, and managing urban trees. However, only a handful of Indian states and cities have established regulations and implementation mechanisms to protect urban trees. Approach and methods Using an integrated mixed‐methods case study approach, this article studies the development, on‐the‐ground implementation, associated challenges, and implications of India's existing disaggregated urban tree protection framework (UTPF). Findings Using a theory‐based stakeholder evaluation model, it delineates the success factors and problem areas that determine UTPF effectiveness. Thereafter, it proposes an overarching integrated UTPF (iUTPF), highlighting four broad themes: innovative regulatory architecture; robust governance structure; appropriate monitoring mechanisms; and holistic stewardship. Policy implications The article thus contributes to environmental sustainability policy and urban development research and highlights strategies to incentivize tree plantation and discourage tree felling for India and other emerging economies with comparable contexts of rapid urbanization, dense population, compact cities and metropolitan areas. It also discusses seven key enabling strategies to help policy‐makers, practitioners, and researchers proactively manage an iUTPF.