Willingness to pay for blue-green space and koala habitat protection following a Covid-19 versus bushfire experimental prime

Abstract Community-supported investment in blue-green space and fauna habitat protection is important, yet the drivers of willingness to pay (WTP) are poorly understood. Moreover, research on WTP for environmental services rarely considers the role of context in determining which services donors prefer. We address these gaps with a novel experimental approach (N = 360), randomly assigning participants to a condition priming either Covid19, the Australian 2019–2020 bushfires, or to one of two control conditions. We measured subsequent WTP for blue-green space and koala habitat, finding mostly non-significant effects for experimental condition on WTP, preparedness to donate, or the importance placed on investment. Both WTP for blue-green space and koala habitat was significantly associated with experience with bushfire, left-leaning political orientation, and higher blue-green space usage. Assessment of WTP for blue-green space in Australian cities indicates a positive attitude, especially among active users, although people are still willing to contribute to koala protection.