The WWF has embraced the world of non-fungible tokens via a genesis drop focused on the protection of thirteen of the most endangered species remaining on the planet.
The World Wide Fund for Nature’s debut collection features digital collectables of the world’s most critically endangered species, including the Northern White Rhino, Amur Leopard and the Vaquita – with the number of NFTs available to mint tied to the approximate number of these animals left in the wild.
Launched to support the sustainability and longevity of its work, 12.5% of every sale from a ‘Tokens of Nature’ NFT will go towards the organisation’s global conservation work, which helps protect the future of endangered species and their at-risk habitats.
WWF also noted its lofty ambitions with NFTs and blockchain, saying the technologies “are here to stay” alongside aiming to use the “full power of Web3 to inform, educate and excite communities around the world about our mission”.
Just 24 hours to go… ⏳
Our #WWFTokensForNature focus on 13 endangered species 🐼🦧🦍
Releasing our NFTs on the eco-friendly @0xPolygon blockchain, each transaction has the equivalent carbon emissions of a glass of tap water.
Join the discussion: https://t.co/T6l20zFpnA pic.twitter.com/urFOjZRDE7
— WWF UK (@wwf_uk) February 2, 2022
To bring a greater scope to the collection, the WWF tapped into the communities of two popular NFT projects – CyberKongz and World of Women – alongside NFT marketplace OpenSea to offer exclusive experiences and artwork for their respective communities.
These experiences include online meetings with conservationists, real-world conservationist expeditions and access to holder-only meetings and events. Further drops were also outlined by WWF, with a number of “exciting projects, collaborations and collector rewards” being planned for 2022.
In order to maintain a sustainable approach, WWF chose Polygon thanks to the minimal energy consumption used by its blockchain and its reputation as an ‘environmentally-friendly network’.
The WWF also went to great lengths to address the fears and concerns of those against NFTs and their energy consumption, with its sustainability page outlining the impact of the collection in detail.
However, despite its best efforts, the collection still faced fierce backlash on Twitter – with many users saying they will cease their donations and its decision to create an NFT collection goes against what they stand for.
Despite the backlash, the WWF continues to stand by the collection, saying it conducted “extensive research and appropriate due diligence” into NFTs and that it firmly believes the benefits to its work and global impact “are worth the limited environmental impact of minting NFTs on Polygon.”
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