Animal-linked NFTs Raise Money for South African Reserve

 

WildEarth works to protect animals through broadcasts and other technology. It is now creating NFTs linked to 25 popular animals in the protected wildlife area the Djuma Game Reserve in South Africa. It is selling the NFTs to raise money for conservation.

NFT stands for non-fungible token¹. It is based on a technology called blockchain, which is also used with digital currencies known as cryptocurrencies. It became largely popular last year.

An NFT can be attached to a piece of digital artwork or other things existing in digital form. The NFT can be used to provide proof that the pieces are real. While anyone can view the work, the buyer has official ownership rights over the pieces.

The most popular NFT for the Djuma Game Reserve comes from Tlalamba. Tlalamba is a four-year-old leopard², a kind of large cat. She is a leading cat for her territory, which means she is called a queen. And she has had two babies, called cubs³.

Buyers of the NFTs will get special access to images, videos and information about animals like Tlalamba on an app. They can talk to other NFT owners on that app. Buyers will also get voting rights for the names of Tlalamba's cubs and the ability to buy the cubs future NFTs first.

Forty percent of the earnings⁴ go to taking care of the animals' habitat, or where the animals live. Some $16,000 has been raised for the Djuma Game Reserve from the sale of 1,000 NFTs. Each NFT costs around $200.

Graham Wallington is the co-founder of WildEarth. He said the project allowed followers⁵ to gain a sense of responsibility in the protection of the animals they love. The project also offers a possible new, dependable, and environmentally friendly way to provide income for conservation around the world.

He said, "If we don't create the necessary economic incentives⁷ to conserve⁸ wildlife, it won't happen." Current conservation income comes mainly from hunting and people visiting the protected areas. He said these current ways harmed animals, their habitats, or were largely undependable during the pandemic.

He said, "We're going to have to find a solution which allows people at home to conserve nature in the wild."

Jurie Moolman is the owner of the Djuma Game Reserve. He said even visitors to the reserve can be harmful if a protected area has too many visitors. Djuma has closed its hotels.

He said that the reserve is trying to reduce its harmful effects to the earth. He added that organizations like WildEarth and the NFT program allow them to continue to share Djuma with people everywhere, while also keeping the habitat safe from harm.

The NFTs will however need to be continuously resold for them to become a dependable source of income for the reserves. Each time an NFT is resold, a percentage of that sale will go to the reserve. It is unknown if there will be a demand for this.

Even with this, Wallington is looking to expand. He hopes to sign up reserves in the country's south. The homes of flightless birds called penguins⁹ and Kenya's large reserve called the Maasai Mara are both in the south.

He said, "We've got a plan to scale this, in our roadmap, to all conservation areas around the world."

Words in This Story

conserve – v. to keep (something) safe or from being damaged or destroyed

access – n. a way of being able to use or get something

allow – v. to permit (something): to regard or treat (something) as acceptable¹⁰

incentive⁶ – n. something that encourages a person to do something or to work harder

reserve – n. an area of land where animals and plants are given special protection

scale – v. to increase the size, amount, or extent of (something)

1 token   

n.筹码，信物，纪念品，礼券；adj.象征性的

参考例句：

• This little gift is a token of our regard.这点礼物是我们大家的一点心意。
• Black is a token of mourning.黑色是沮丧的象征。

2 leopard   

n.豹

参考例句：

• I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
• The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。

3 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

7 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

9 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。