The Warden Attitude: An investigation of the value of interaction with everyday wildlife

Brock, Michael, Perino, Grischa and Sugden, Robert (2017) The Warden Attitude: An investigation of the value of interaction with everyday wildlife. Environmental and Resource Economics, 67 (1). pp. 127-155. ISSN 0924-6460

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Abstract

Using a discrete choice experiment, we elicit valuations of engagement with ‘everyday wildlife’ through feeding garden birds. We find that bird-feeding is primarily but not exclusively motivated by the direct consumption value of interaction with wildlife. The implicit valuations given to different species suggest that people prefer birds that have aesthetic appeal and that evoke human feelings of protectiveness. These findings suggest that people derive wellbeing by adopting a warden-like role towards ‘their’ wildlife. We test for external validity by conducting a hedonic analysis of sales of bird food. We discuss some policy implications of the existence of warden attitudes.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: use value,everyday wildlife,discrete choice experiment,nature connectivity,warden attitude,garden birds,hedonic
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Economics
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 22 Mar 2016 09:11
Last Modified: 19 Apr 2023 00:54
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/57655
DOI: 10.1007/s10640-015-9979-9

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