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Can we place a value on the joy birds give us?

What would you pay to hear birdsong?

For many people, birds contribute hugely to their quality of life: simple birdsong uplifts people. We see or hear them every day, unlike tigers or elephants that we contribute millions of pounds to charities to protect even though most of us will never see them. So how much value do birds add to our lives?

What would you be willing to pay to ensure you heard birds every day? We pay £2.70 for a Starbucks coffee. That’s nearly £700 in a working year – would you pay that to conserve birds if they gave you more of a boost than a cup of coffee? We're starting to slip here into one of the research methodologies employed to place a value on nature - the 'willingness to pay' approach.

In fact, over one million people in the UK do place a value on birds, by paying to be a member of a society that protects them; the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. I’m a member. My wife thinks this is a joke as after 15 years I still can’t tell the difference between a starling and a thrush but to protect birds you must protect habitat and that’s my justification for being a member.

But me being a member also gives added clout to the RSPB. When they say they have 1m members it’s hard for government to dismiss their conservation campaigns. So it could be argued I perform some service to nature just by renewing my membership every year.

In 2008, half a million listeners tuned in to a radio station playing birdsong. It can be accessed today via digital radio, and via the internet. Even the most environmentally neutral individuals, if asked, I suspect would say they would miss the sound of birds; would feel uncomfortable at having 'silent skies'.

In reality of course, like so much in nature, the sound of birdsong is invaluable. No amount of money, if a value were placed on their aesthetic contribution to our lives, could ever substitute for their presence. And we haven't even begun to look at the ecosystem services they provide....


This is just one of the stories from my environmental talks

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