Information and wildlife valuation: Experiments and Policy’

Abstract

The authours use experimental surveys to investigate the association between individuals' knowledge of particular wildlife speciesand their stated willingness to allocate funds to Conserve each. The nature of variations in these allocations between species(e.g. thier dispersion) as participants knowledge increases is examined. factors influencing these changes are suggested. Willingness-to-pay allocations are found not measure the economic value of species,but are shown to be policy relevent. The results indicate that poorly known species, e.g. in remote areas, may obtain relativety less conservation support than they deserve.