Wetlands provide a variety of important environmental services including fl
ood control, wildlife habitat, waste treatment, and recreational opportunit
ies. Because most of these services are public goods, the value of wetland
preservation cannot be directly obtained from market prices but may be esti
mated using revealed-preference or stated-preference methods. We estimate t
he value to local residents of protecting the Kuantu wetland in Taiwan usin
g contingent valuation. Estimates are sensitive to question format, with es
timates using a double-bounded dichotomous-choice format about three times
larger than estimates using a single open-ended question. Using the openend
ed format, the estimated annual mean household willingness to pay to preser
ve the Kuantu wetland is about US$21. Using the dichotomous-choice question
s, the value is about US$65. These estimates suggest the total present-valu
e willingness to pay to preserve Kuantu wetland is about US$200 million to
US$1.2 billion (discounted at 5- 10%).