Text 1: Environmental economist Dr. Lisa Chen advocates market-based conservation. "Paying communities for ecosystem services aligns economic incentives with conservation," Chen writes. "When forests generate revenue through carbon credits, locals benefit from preservation."
Text 2: Environmental anthropologist Dr. James Wong studies payment programs. "Monetizing nature can undermine intrinsic motivations for stewardship," Wong observes. "Communities that protected forests for cultural reasons may shift to purely economic calculations—and stop protecting when payments end."
What unintended consequence of Chen's approach does Wong identify?
That conservation fails to protect any ecosystems
That economic incentives might displace and weaken non-economic motivations
That communities never have cultural relationships with nature
That carbon credits don't provide any revenue
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the correct answer. Wong warns payments may "undermine intrinsic motivations"—replacing cultural stewardship reasons with economic ones that disappear when payments stop. Crowding out non-economic motivation.
- Evidence: Wong: communities "shift to purely economic calculations."
- Reasoning: External incentives can displace internal ones.
- Conclusion: Economic framing undermines deeper conservation motivations.
Choice A is incorrect because Wong discusses motivation shifts, not complete failure. Choice C is incorrect because Wong emphasizes cultural relationships. Choice D is incorrect because Wong accepts payments provide revenue.