Species richness alone does not predict cultural ecosystem service value

Significance Sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services are common conservation goals. However, understanding relationships between biodiversity and cultural ecosystem services (CES) and determining the best indicators to represent CES remain crucial challenges. We combined ecological and social data to compare CES value of wildflower communities based on observed species richness versus revealed social preferences. Using a discrete-choice experiment with images of wildflower communities, we analyzed which aspects of biodiversity were associated with the aesthetic preferences of forest visitors. Although commonly used to indicate biodiversity-based CES, species richness did not predict aesthetic preference. This study suggests that successful management of CES requires understanding stakeholders’ preferences to determine conservation priorities.