Open Conversations: Bridging Nature, Data, and Human Opportunity (David Dao)

A conversation with David Dao, co-founder and chief scientist of Gainforest. David lays out the urgency of climate action—not just as an environmental challenge, but as the defining humanitarian crisis of our time. He argues that solving it requires economic systems that empower communities rather than exploit them. David introduces Gainforest’s approach: leveraging Web3 to create a new funding model where rainforest communities earn a sustainable income by collecting conservation data. By aligning financial incentives with environmental stewardship, Gainforest is pioneering a regenerative economy that rewards those protecting nature rather than those destroying it. Produced by Funding the Commons in Bangkok, November 2024. Special thanks to Protocol Labs and Tiny Rebel (@TnyrblCreative on X) for sharing footage of the Cagwait community in the Philippines. Mentioned Projects Gainforest: https://gainforest.earth Funding the Commons: https://www.fundingthecommons.io Thank You to Our Sponsors Octant: https://octant.app Protocol Labs: https://protocol.ai Filecoin Foundation: https://fil.org Stellar: https://stellar.org NEAR: https://near.org Holonym: https://holonym.io Drips: https://drips.network Gitcoin: https://gitcoin.co Breadchain: https://breadchain.xyz LAYER: https://layer.xyz KXVC: https://www.kxvc.tech Blockchain for Good Alliance: https://www.blockchainforgood.xyz