Assessment of Public Knowledge and Willingness to Pay for Recovery of an Endangered Songbird, the Golden-Cheeked Warbler

• Published in: Human dimensions of wildlife Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 86 - 94
• Main Authors: Ferrato, Jacqueline R., Brown, Donald J., McKinney, Audrey
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Routledge 02.01.2016; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Birds; Conservation; development; Endangered & extinct species; endangered species; public; value; Wildlife conservation; Willingness to pay
• ISSN: 1087-1209; 1533-158X
• DOI: 10.1080/10871209.2015.1094710

Ecological economics assigns value to resources. Valuation can be difficult when the resource is a species, particularly one that does not directly impact humans. The endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) is a songbird that breeds exclusively in central Texas. Using a door-to-door survey design, we investigated knowledge and willingness to pay for golden-cheeked warbler recovery actions in Austin, Texas, a city attempting to balance human population growth with conservation of several endangered species. Approximately half of respondents had knowledge of this species; of those 80% knew it was endangered. Seventy-four percent of respondents believed the species held value, and most regarded that value as existence-based. The mean willingness to pay was $21.47 per person annually over a 5-year period, including individuals not willing to pay. Our study indicated the public values the warbler, and is willing to provide monetary support for recovery and conservation efforts.