Building Better Conservation Organisations with Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology can enable non-profit organisations (NPOs) to create a large, diverse, and engaged community of donors and stakeholders in an autonomous and transparent manner. However, uncertainty remains regarding the appropriate use of blockchain technology by conservation NPOs for a variety of reasons (e.g., security, energy consumption, efficiency). We provide a primer of blockchain technology for NPOs that are unfamiliar with the diverse range of use-cases for blockchain technology, such as cryptocurrency. We discuss the myths regarding the energy costs for “mining” cryptocurrency and explore some of the technological advancements that will reduce the carbon footprint of utilising blockchain technology going forward. We also detail case studies of several conservation NPOs who have begun to adopt blockchain technology in their operations. We propose that the increasing use of blockchain technology could generate new revenue streams, enhance operational efficiency, and strengthen stakeholder trust to deliver impactful conservation outcomes and encourage NPOs and policymakers to begin pilot explorations of blockchain applications.