Willingness to pay for birdsong

We present the first estimate of the causal effect of auditory sensation on willingness to pay and the first estimate of the marginal value of bird song, using constructed soundscapes. We compare willingness to pay values for increases in bird wildlife habitat quality and quantity between samples where respondents are played recordings of soundscapes compared to respondents who do not get to listen to these simulated soundscapes. Preferences for the costs of habitat restoration and willingness to pay for habitat quality enhancements were found to be significantly larger in the “with soundscapes” sample. Methodologically, this paper reports on the use of simulated soundscapes in choice experiments as a means of increasing the information respondents have before making their choices.