German Conservation Fund Uses Carbon Credits and Blockchain to Finance African Biodiversity Projects
The Africa's Most Endangered Species (AMES) Foundation, a Germany-based impact organisation, is using a combination of carbon credits, blockchain-powered investment securities, and on-the-ground monitoring technology to finance conservation across Southern Africa, with a target of protecting one million hectares by 2035. The foundation currently manages two biodiversity hotspots in South Africa - the 7,500-hectare Mkambati Nature Reserve on the Eastern Cape's Wild Coast and 2,000 hectares in Limpopo's Waterberg region - with two further sites totalling 28,000 hectares in KwaZulu-Natal and the Kalahari in the pipeline. At Mkambati, revenue is generated through GweGwe Beach Lodge, which shares profits with the seven villages of the Mkambati Land Trust, and through Verra VM42-accredited carbon credits derived from grassland rehabilitation. The foundation is also pioneering biodiversity credits in partnership with the Landbanking Group, using indicator species recovery across trophic layers to demonstrate measurable conservation outcomes for investors and auditors.
To attract European investors, AMES established the AMES Habitat Fund, built on blockchain technology that functions as a secure, transparent ledger - reducing administrative costs, simplifying cross-border investment, and removing complex tax and legal barriers. On the ground, satellite surveillance monitors vegetation changes, AI-enabled camera traps track wildlife and detect intrusion, and drones support anti-poaching operations. AMES Director Marios Michaelides, speaking at a panel discussion ahead of the Africa's Green Economy Summit 2026 in Cape Town, said the model is designed to make nature both investable and scalable.
Source: Farmer's Weekly
