Two non-profit organisations, the ixo foundation and Seneca Park Zoo Society, have partnered to measure the impact of global conservation initiatives using blockchain technology.

The ixo foundation has developed an open-source protocol using blockchain technology, which enables anyone around the world to create an impact claim. The claim is then assessed by a human evaluator or dataset to become a verified impact claim which can be used as proof to access funding.

South Africa-based ixo foundation is a software development organisation founded by Dr. Shaun Conway while New York-based Seneca Park Zoo Society is the non-profit partner of Seneca Park Zoo.

The First Collaboration

The partnership’s first project will involve recording animal and insect regeneration in Madagascar’s regenerated forests using sensors and the blockchain. The sensors will be linked to ixo’s blockchain to collect data and verify it. Impact tokens, which can be used to get funding with verified proof of impact, will then be created.

Seneca Park Zoo Society and Stony Brook University have been using the sensors to test their effectiveness in assessing ecosystem well-being in reforested areas on the island.

Dr. Conway, founder and president of the ixo foundation, said: “Our partnership with Seneca Park Zoo Society is a proof of concept, showing how all manner of conservation projects can record the impact they are having. By utilising the ixo Blockchain for Impact, they will be able to record evidence of change as verified impact data, which demonstrates what counts for sustainable social, environmental and economic development.”

“We will use this data to grow the fundraising and public education potential of zoos and aquariums, reinforcing the value of zoos to our communities. We look forward to our first collaboration in Madagascar, which will allow us to measure the positive impact of renewed forests through biodiversity measurements and increased human health using the ixo Blockchain for Impact,” said Tom Snyder, director of programming and conservation action, Seneca Park Zoo Society.

The two organisations will collaborate further to assess the effect of global conservation initiatives and boost funding for zoos and aquariums.

Creating an Extensive Database & the Amply Project

Dr. Conway established the ixo foundation after he acknowledged the difficulty of finding sufficient data when planning a project. The non-profit organisation, therefore, aims to develop a verified database, in the next 13 years, covering all the targets set out to attain the UN’s sustainable development goals.

Ixo’s protocol has already been used in a project, dubbed Amply, that aims to track student attendance in rural South African schools. Rather than using a paper attendance sheet, teachers use a mobile app to record students’ turnout. The records are essential to schools because they can be used to access government subsidies.