The economic value of protecting endangered or threatened species by taxonomic group

In the United States, there are 940 plants, 86 mammals, 101 birds, 57 reptiles, 43 amphibians, 139 fishes, and 99 insects that are listed as endangered or threatened species. This paper presents the first analysis of estimating the economic value of protecting endangered or threatened species by taxonomic group using a discrete choice experiment. The results indicate that the mean annual willingness-to-pay's for plants, birds, fishes, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects are $67.57, $68.31, $47.88, $118.22, $19.91, $26.11, and $41.42 per household, respectively. Conservation agencies can use the information in prioritizing conservation efforts and allocating budgets by the taxonomic group. • The economic value of protecting endangered or threatened species varies by taxonomic group. • The rankings of the values; mammals > birds > plants > fishes > insects > amphibians > reptiles.