Animal-linked NFTs Raise Money for South African Reserve
2022-02-08
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1WildEarth works to protect animals through broadcasts and other technology.
2It is now creating NFTs linked to 25 popular animals in the protected wildlife area the Djuma Game Reserve in South Africa.
3It is selling the NFTs to raise money for conservation.
4NFT stands for non-fungible token.
5It is based on a technology called blockchain, which is also used with digital currencies known as cryptocurrencies.
6It became largely popular last year.
7An NFT can be attached to a piece of digital artwork or other things existing in digital form.
8The NFT can be used to provide proof that the pieces are real.
9While anyone can view the work, the buyer has official ownership rights over the pieces.
10The most popular NFT for the Djuma Game Reserve comes from Tlalamba.
11Tlalamba is a four-year-old leopard, a kind of large cat.
12 She is a leading cat for her territory, which means she is called a queen.
13And she has had two babies, called cubs.
14Buyers of the NFTs will get special access to images, videos and information about animals like Tlalamba on an app.
15They can talk to other NFT owners on that app.
16Buyers will also get voting rights for the names of Tlalamba's cubs and the ability to buy the cubs future NFTs first.
17Forty percent of the earnings go to taking care of the animals' habitat, or where the animals live.
18Some $16,000 has been raised for the Djuma Game Reserve from the sale of 1,000 NFTs. Each NFT costs around $200.
19Graham Wallington is the co-founder of WildEarth.
20He said the project allowed followers to gain a sense of responsibility in the protection of the animals they love.
21The project also offers a possible new, dependable, and environmentally friendly way to provide income for conservation around the world.
22He said, "If we don't create the necessary economic incentives to conserve wildlife, it won't happen."
23Current conservation income comes mainly from hunting and people visiting the protected areas.
24He said these current ways harmed animals, their habitats, or were largely undependable during the pandemic.
25He said, "We're going to have to find a solution which allows people at home to conserve nature in the wild."
26Jurie Moolman is the owner of the Djuma Game Reserve.
27He said even visitors to the reserve can be harmful if a protected area has too many visitors. Djuma has closed its hotels.
28He said that the reserve is trying to reduce its harmful effects to the earth.
29He added that organizations like WildEarth and the NFT program allow them to continue to share Djuma with people everywhere,
30while also keeping the habitat safe from harm.
31The NFTs will however need to be continuously resold for them to become a dependable source of income for the reserves.
32Each time an NFT is resold, a percentage of that sale will go to the reserve.
33It is unknown if there will be a demand for this.
34Even with this, Wallington is looking to expand.
35He hopes to sign up reserves in the country's south.
36The homes of flightless birds called penguins and Kenya's large reserve called the Maasai Mara are both in the south.
37He said, "We've got a plan to scale this, in our roadmap, to all conservation areas around the world."
38I'm Gregory Stachel.
1WildEarth 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. 2NFT stands for non-fungible token. It is based on a technology called blockchain, which is also used with digital currencies known as cryptocurrencies. It became largely popular last year. 3An 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. 4The most popular NFT for the Djuma Game Reserve comes from Tlalamba. Tlalamba is a four-year-old leopard, 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 cubs. 5Buyers 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. 6Forty percent of the earnings 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. 7Graham Wallington is the co-founder of WildEarth. He said the project allowed followers 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. 8He said, "If we don't create the necessary economic incentives to conserve 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. 9He said, "We're going to have to find a solution which allows people at home to conserve nature in the wild." 10Jurie 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. 11He 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. 12The 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. 13Even with this, Wallington is looking to expand. He hopes to sign up reserves in the country's south. The homes of flightless birds called penguins and Kenya's large reserve called the Maasai Mara are both in the south. 14He said, "We've got a plan to scale this, in our roadmap, to all conservation areas around the world." 15I'm Gregory Stachel. 16Emma Rumney reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 17________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19conserve - v. to keep (something) safe or from being damaged or destroyed 20access - n. a way of being able to use or get something 21allow - v. to permit (something): to regard or treat (something) as acceptable 22incentive - n. something that encourages a person to do something or to work harder 23reserve - n. an area of land where animals and plants are given special protection 24scale - v. to increase the size, amount, or extent of (something) 25We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.