It’s always encouraging to see cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) making positive impacts coupled with real-world projects – speculative investing can only do so much. In practical use cases, protecting animals and saving the environment can be real.
WildEarth Uses NFTs to Protect Some Endangered Species
According to a report on January 28, WildEarth combines its experience in South African game reserves with NFTs and live streaming to protect some endangered species. This is accomplished through an interactive experience where sponsors shape their NFTs and watch the animals live on TV.
The WildEarth project has taken a big step forward due to its global reach. They are one of the largest broadcasters in the world with a presence in Roku, DStv Africa, Amazon, iOS, Android, Plex, Bolt, Huawei, Xumo WildEarth’s TV channels have 5 million monthly viewers across platforms like Samsung+, Sling, LG+, Zeasn and more. The audience is already dealing with nature and is interested in animal welfare.
It’s the perfect combination in many ways. WildEarth broadcast audiences are already sensitive to the plight of animals. After watching a TV show about animals, they become interested in finding new ways to help. The NFT mining program provides this in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner.
The premise of the Animal NFT initiative is simple and brilliant. 40% of NFT sales go directly to habitat managers who protect animals. 8% of secondary sales are also delivered to custodians in local currency. This is a very effective transmission mechanism because the keepers have the experience and passion to care for the habitat. Given the differences between habitats and species, a standardized approach will not work.
Each NFT contains a picture of the animal, its registration ID, and additional information. Each NFT collection is dedicated to a specific animal species. For every 1 NFT minted, WildEarth will mint another NFT and keep that NFT in the treasury for later sale on the secondary market. This creates a regular stream of income for habitat caretakers.
NFT Program to Help in Livestreaming
WildEarth’s mantra is to connect people with nature through its nature-based broadcasts. But the NFT program goes one step further, where people can stream their animals and even have conversations with habitat managers and other NFT owners to form organic groups with a genuine interest in helping animals and the environment.
WildEarth also emphasizes live streaming, which people are looking for in the Web 3.0 era. It’s also the emotional and “alive” sense that really connects people to the planet, rather than a more staged approach. Nature lovers will embrace the idea of having a live, personalized animal that they don’t actually “own” but certainly have access to. Any NFT owner can access videos, still images, details, anecdotes, and movements of each animal over time through the mobile app.
Currently, the protected animals are mainly those from the Juma Reserve. These are top predators, including lions, leopards, and hyenas. These animals need protection the most, and people love to watch them on TV. They are also the easiest to track compared to smaller animals.
The WildEarth project runs on the Polygon blockchain, with a very low carbon footprint compared to other chains like Bitcoin or Ethereum. All NFTs in all animal collections can be minted for 120 MATIC (equivalent to around $200, although prices vary), and you can mint them directly by connecting a Metamask or WalletConnect wallet.
A maximum of 10 NFTs can be minted per wallet, and the maximum number of NFTs can be minted per collection. The minting window occurs in a finite time frame, with demand matching supply, and is created at a fixed price (120 MATIC). Therefore, the NFT minting process ensures that nothing is wasted and no price arbitrage occurs.
