Does information matter in the value of a wetland?

Non-market values, as measured by willingness to pay, are often required for integrated resource management projects where assessments include a range of social, financial and environmental indicators. In this study, improvements to the Tuckean wetland in New South Wales, Australia was presented as part of a discrete choice experiment. One treatment group was given more background information about the history and economy of the case study area, information about acid sulfate soils and a quiz. The other treatment group was given less background information and no quiz. The confidence intervals on willingness to pay estimates overlap suggesting more information has limited impact on willingness to pay estimates. Information influences perceptions of the survey and preference heterogeneity for some of the attributes. Our findings suggest that given the limited impact of background information, less information may be preferred due to cost considerations.

Automated summary

The study found that providing more background information has limited impact on willingness to pay estimates in integrated resource management projects, suggesting that less information may be preferred due to cost considerations.