SEA Token Launches World’s First Environmental Kickstarter
June 7th, 2021 at 3:05 pm UTC · 2 min read
To coincide with World Ocean Day (June 8th), environmental nonprofit and cryptocurrency SEA Token have announced that they’re launching the world’s first environment-specific kickstarter platform, SEAstarter. Designed to provide a launchpad for groundbreaking new marine science and enviro-activist projects, SEAstarter aims to support 20 groundbreaking new environmental projects by the end of theae year.
SEAstarter’s first supported project is already locked in: it’s a study of eDNA & Elasmobranch Biodiversity on the coastline of South Africa – the subject of Kristina Loosen’s PhD. The study will use environmental DNA (eDNA) – a new, non-lethal method of assessing presence or absence of species in a region – to monitor shark populations on the South African coastline.
SEA Token founder James Birchall says:
“We’re extremely excited to support Kristina’s project. It’s potentially a huge step forward for species monitoring – it could really change the way we assess populations, movements and ecosystems. It also ties in brilliantly with SEA Token’s main project, the development of our environmental monitoring dApps. By this time next year I think we will be seeing major moves forward in the speed, accessibility and reach of environmental data pathways, and projects like Kristina’s will play a huge part in that.”
Loosen’s project forms her PhD research at Stellenbosch University, supervised by Professor Conrad Matthee and Dr. Sara Andreotti, both figures on the forefront of shark population monitoring. This also makes it the first ever PhD funded by cryptocurrency.
Kristina shares:
“It was a life-long dream of mine to embark on this journey to finally be able to do my PhD on white sharks. Without SEA Token, this wouldn’t be possible, especially in times of the coronavirus pandemic when research funding has become scarce. With our alternate approach, we will create something unique, a new path for ocean conservation and maybe a future standard model for science overall.”
SEA Token, a community interest company registered in the UK, generates funding for its partner organisations fighting ocean degradation – partners like Sea Shepherd (as featured in the Netflix documentary “Seaspiracy”), Oceanic Preservation Society, Coral Reef Alliance, Project AWARE and several other groundbreaking environmental charities. The same funding streams will be used to support projects via SEAstarter, with an estimated annual fund of £400,000 per year available to selected projects.
More information about SEA Token here.