Thesmallhydropower(SHP)willbelesscompetitiveintheabsenceofenvironmentalvalue.Thelackofinformationhasbecomeanimportantobstaclechallengingdecision-makersinresource-usechoices.Thispaperisanapplicationofcontingentvaluationmethod(CVM)inruralChinatoestimatethewillingness-to-pay(WTP)forenvironmentalservicesprovidedbyexitinghydropowerstation.Usingthesingle-boundedanddichotomouschoiceCVM,theecologicalvalueofTongjiqiaoReservoir(TJQR)isestimated,andtheannualmeanWTPsofsingle-boundedanddouble-boundedCVMestimationare141.05and219.52Yuan(RMB)/a,respectively.The95%confidenceintervalofannualWTPonanaverageis118.47,166.79Yuan(RMB)/aand204.41,236.22(YuanRMB)/a,respectively.Incontrast,double-boundedmodelcouldobtainmuchmoreinformationofWTPoftheinvestigated,thusreducingtheconfidenceintervalofestimation,andenhancingtheestimationaccuracyoftheWTP.AccordingtotheestimatedmeanWTPofthedouble-boundedCVM,thetotalecosystemservicevalueoftheTJQRis15.54millionYuan(RMB).Comparedwiththeconventionalelectricityoffossilpowerandlargehydropower,theSHPwillbelesscompetitiveintheabsenceofnon-marketvalue,ignoringthattheenvironmentalimpactsofexistingSHPwillunderminethehealthydevelopmentofcleanenergysector.
