ABSTRACT
However, WTP constitutes, at most, a disposition to choose. Choice, on the other hand, requires action – it is the behaviour itself. Choice is a superior criterion because, unlike stating one’s WTP, there is a cost in being wrong and therefore there is an incentive to be accurate. If individuals, or conservation groups, wish to preserve a natural resource they can purchase it. Their action expresses consent, engagement and commitment. In making a choice they become accountable and responsible for it. Stating a WTP may mean they can preserve the resource without incurring any cost to themselves.
