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Porini Foundation Brings Nature Collectibles to the Carbon-Negative Hedera Network

Published By
Wes Geisenberger
July 18, 2022

Porini’s Nature Collectibles will fund nature conservation projects across the globe with use of Hedera’s energy-efficient public ledger

FRIBOURG - July 18, 2022 - Porini Foundation, the Swiss-based foundation at the crossroads of nature conservation and blockchain technology, today announced it is moving its Nature Collectibles initiative to the Hedera network, the most used, sustainable, enterprise-grade public network for the decentralized economy. In addition, all of the Porini Foundation’s other blockchain-based projects will migrate to the Hedera network from Porini’s proprietary blockchain.

Toni Caradonna, CTO of Porini Foundation, said: “As climate change escalates, we must pounce on new technological opportunities wherever they arise. Employing distributed ledger technology for ‘collect to conserve’ initiatives like Nature Collectibles enables us to use the metaverse to help save our planet. Working with Hedera gives our project heightened visibility and impact. Furthermore, Hedera is significantly more energy-efficient than alternative public networks, aligning with our conservation ethos, and destigmatizing blockchain and distributed ledger technology from its purported environmental impact.”

James Hardcastle, Director of the Global Protected Areas Team at the IUCN, the world’s largest environmental network with more than 1,400 Member organizations, said, "The minimal carbon impact associated with the technology infrastructure being used for Nature Collectibles is key; the process of raising funds to save the planet must be carbon neutral. In that sense, Hedera is the natural choice for the Porini Foundation and others looking to bring transparency to their conservation financing efforts.”

Nature Collectibles, which are verifiable pieces of digital art, connected to a nature conservation project in a protected area, will bring nature conservation financing directly to conservation actors without the need for a third party, all while minimizing any associated carbon footprint. Users will be able to buy, sell, and collect Nature Collectibles through a Hedera wallet on a designated smartphone app. 

The Porini Foundation uses energy-efficient technology and innovative financial instruments to foster biodiversity and mitigate climate change. To this end, it launched its series of Nature Collectibles to generate recurring funding for protected places. These protected places are recognized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Green List program as working to the highest standards of biodiversity protection. 

Wes Geisenberger, VP of Sustainability and ESG at the HBAR Foundation, said: “Partnering with Porini Foundation on Nature Collectibles will bring key funding into important conservation projects around the world and supports the core of IUCN’s mission. As the HBAR Foundation Sustainable Impact Fund and Regenerative Finance (ReFi) community on Hedera continue to rapidly scale, we are excited about the opportunity to increase awareness in conservation.”

Porini’s Nature Collectibles is a  global digital art collection based across eight conservation sites and 6 continents. These sites are managed by local Porini partners and certified for real biodiversity outputs through the IUCN Green List process. One digital conservation site is dIsland, a digital twin of a real-world island in Seychelles. dIsland is a digital island in the metaverse where users can meet, buy land, and learn about nature conservation and Seychelles. 

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About Porini Foundation

Porini Foundation is a specialized Swiss charity at the crossroads of nature conservation and blockchain working for the benefit of people and nature. Disruptive technologies like zero-carbon blockchains will change the world, and Porini Foundation supports the sustainable use of these technologies, both nationally and internationally, as climate and conservation efforts go beyond national borders. Porini created the first global marketplace for Nature Collectibles, developed the zero-carbon blockchain aligned with UN SDGs, and is a partner of IUCN Green List and Tech4Nature.

 For more information, visit porini.foundation. Follow us on Twitter at @PoriniFoundatio, LinkedIn at Porini Foundation, or Facebook at @porini.foundation.