Sale of animal-linked NFTs raises conservation funds for S African reserve

Tlalamba, a four-year-old leopard, has achieved much in her short life. She’s queen of her mother’s old territory, borne two cubs and, so far, is the most sought-after animal on her reserve among buyers of a new project selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to raise money for conservation.

NFTs are a form of crypto asset which exploded in popularity last year. All kinds of digital objects — from art to videos and even tweets — can be bought and sold as NFTs, which use unique digital signatures to ensure they are one-of-a-kind.

Now, WildEarth, a wildlife streaming service, is minting NFTs linked to 25 prominent animals like Tlalamba on the Djuma Game Reserve in South Africa. Buyers will get special access to images, video and information about creatures like Tlalamba via an app, where they can also talk with other NFT owners. They even get voting rights in the names of Tlalamba’s cubs, and first dibs on their future NFTs.

Forty per cent of the proceeds go to the custodian of the animals’ habitat, with some $16,000 raised for the Djuma reserve via more than 1,000 sales so far. Each NFT currently costs around $200.

Graham Wallington, co-founder of WildEarth, said the venture allowed enthusiasts to gain a sense of custodianship for the animals they love, while offering a potential new, reliable and low-impact revenue stream for conservation.