We explored the relationships among human attitudes towards biodiversity, its economic value and the public awareness for biodiversity conservation. Behavioural items and specific human attitudes to species were studied in the framework of a contingent valuation survey conducted in the Doñana National and Natural Park (SW Spain). Our analyses revealed a strong correlation between individuals' attitudes towards particular species and their stated willingness to allocate funds for their conservation. Factors influencing individuals' attitudes and willingness to pay are suggested. Overall, we found that the role of affective factors is much greater than the role of ecological-scientific considerations. Familiarity and biophilia factors had a marked effect on the attitude towards paying for biodiversity conservation. Since contingent valuation does not reveal the economic benefits of conserving certain key species; we propose that it should be combined with other non-monetary criteria derived from social-psychology and human ecology disciplines.