Fundraising through NFTs - Conservation and Rainforest Partnership
The AEternals was created in support of Rainforest Partnership, who redirect funds to local communities across the Amazon rainforest, who serve as the first line of defense for one of the world’s most important ecological ecosystems. We set out to foster a sense of connectedness between the rainforest and NFT collectors eager to help protect our Earth.
The rainforest is to be protected, not purchased– in the ethos of the indigenous communities who understand the rainforest to be a public good, we wanted to preserve an idea of guardianship over ownership.
We aim to create a connection between our guardians and their NFT and do so through education and community engagement.
We use real-time environmental data to feed our NFTs and game environment, including the changing weather conditions and daylight patterns of the Amazon Forest, as well as the IRL sounds of the forest. This harmonious connection between the AEternals NFTs and the rainforest of South America was made possible by the efforts of Rainforest Partnership and the communities that operate in that region.
Beyond community and an artful collectible, another key component of the AEternals is that it is part game. Our Aeternals Ecoverse, created by Colombian gaming company Madbricks, has enabled us to translate our philosophy into an immersive, playable experience. Our game was developed with the highest respect for the indigenous communities that have been protecting the land. We designed our user experience to be soothing to the senses. With the volume turned on, you can listen to a 24-hour track of an actual rainforest of the regions being supported through Rainforest Partnership. As you interact with it, in time, your digital rainforest will evolve. As it evolves in the game, so will it evolve in your wallet. Guardians whose plots are evolved to higher states of Enlightenment will be eligible for special perks within our community, including naming rights to a recently discovered frog species, for instance.
BRINGING CONSERVATION TO WEB3
While funding is an essential component for forest conservation work, traditional funding mechanisms are limiting and usually tied to heavy regulations.
Applying for a grant, for instance, might take half a year, with intensive efforts from the organization and no guaranteed funding. If the organization succeeds in receiving funding, it will still have strict and limiting requirements of how funds can be used. Often these rules don’t consider the culture of the community the organization works with. Traditional grants don’t usually take into account the delicate nature of remaining culturally respectful, sustainable, and bidirectional with the communities involved.
We were inspired to create new avenues for fundraising that didn’t rely on traditional mechanisms. The AEternals aim to demonstrate that Web3 and NFTs can contribute to a measurable positive impact. Raising capital in this manner allows the receiving organization to retain full authority to decide where and how the capital will be allocated, directly connecting to their on-the-ground teams whilst adhering to public transparency and fund traceability measures.
The AEternals joined Rainforest Partnership last fall at COP26, The United Nations Climate Convention. Together we are building a community of like-minded individuals with an interest in conservation that are excited to be at the forefront of an innovative impact-driven project.
RAINFOREST ACHIEVEMENTS
Rainforest Partnership takes a dual approach to ending deforestation by targeting both root causes, from the demand chain by setting up global campaigns, and from the supply chain where they work directly with local communities to supply the resources they need to continue to protect the sacred land.
Rainforest Partnership has established itself in Peru and Ecuador, and most recently, expanded their projects to Mexico.
In 2021 the organization partnered with 9 communities along the Peru-Brazil border for direct conservation, protection, and management of primary forest land.
In Ecuador, it supported sustainable enterprises led by Kichwa women. Through this partnership, the community is protecting 1500 acres of primary forest.
Their team of biologists led by Pablo Venegas discovered 6 frogs, lizards, and toad species completely new to science.
Rainforest Partnership also has global programs that aim to bring awareness to the various pathways for conservation impact. Every 7th breath you take is enabled by the rainforest, protecting it is our duty and our lives depend on it. You don’t need to live in or near a rainforest to effectively fight for its protection, and RP’s global programs help unlock individual and collective paths of impact from anywhere in the world.
One of the organization’s core values is innovation and boosting young talent– illustrated by the fact that two-thirds of the Rainforest Partnership team is under 30, which leads them to an open path of new avenues for collaborations with other sectors to overcome the limitations of the non-profit sector.
Founded in 2017 by Rainforest Partnership, World Rainforest Day recognizes standing, healthy forests as one of the most powerful and cost-effective climate change mitigation tools we have- and creates a global movement to protect and restore them. To celebrate World Rainforest Day 2021, Rainforest Partnership launched a Global Summit convening 45 organizations for three days of programming featuring panels, workshops, film screenings, wellness sessions, and more. World Rainforest Day is celebrated annually on June 22nd, and this year’s Summit is scheduled for the same day.
The AEternals’ team is proud to be supporting Rainforest Partnership’s mission, bringing it to the NFT community through our collection, which will be available on Nifty Gateway.
For partnership inquiries for World Rainforest Day, contact Nia at nia@rainforestpartnership.org.
For more information on The AEternals, please visit www.aeternals.io, or join our Discord and Twitter communities.
