every ecosystem has organisms you can't replace, stores of accumulated value, and flows that circulate across the whole system. ensurance has the same structure — three instruments at three levels of fungibility, each modeled on a different dimension of how living systems work.
the stack
three instruments, three standards, three levels of fungibility — each modeled on a different dimension of living systems.
| instrument | standard | fungibility | nature analog |
|---|---|---|---|
| agents | ERC-721 | non-fungible | organisms — unique, specific, place-bound |
| certificates | ERC-1155 | semi-fungible | stocks — accumulated biomass, stored carbon, aquifer reserves |
| coins | ERC-20 | fungible | flows — water cycles, nutrient transport, energy transfer |
natural assets (real property + ecosystems) are the substrate everything grows from — the foundation layer beneath the instruments.
the progression from non-fungible to fungible mirrors the progression from specific to general. from this watershed, this steward to protocol-wide value circulation.
three types of value
the IPBES Values Assessment distinguishes three categories of nature's value: intrinsic (nature for its own sake), relational (the reciprocal relationships between people and nature), and instrumental (nature for the services it provides). ensurance doesn't collapse these into one — it builds instruments that hold each differently.
| value type | what it means | how the stack serves it |
|---|---|---|
| intrinsic | irreplaceable, self-standing | agents preserve unique identity — a place, species, or purpose that exists regardless of market value |
| relational | reciprocal, specific | certificates make relational value financially legible — connecting specific people to specific ecosystems through claims that directly fund protection |
| instrumental | functional, circulating | coins are the mechanism layer — circulating liquidity that routes capital to where nature needs it |
the instrumental serves the intrinsic. certificates don't hold relational value the way a steward's care for a watershed does — but they make that relationship visible, fundable, and accountable onchain.
agents — organisms (ERC-721)
an agent is an NFT with a tokenbound account (ERC-6551). it represents a specific place, person, or purpose — and each one is unique. like an organism in an ecosystem: irreplaceable, adapted to its niche, carrying intrinsic value that exists regardless of what the market says.
agents hold assets, receive proceeds, execute operations, and accumulate reputation over time. they're the operational layer — the actors that steward natural assets and connect stocks to flows through their activity.
certificates — stocks (ERC-1155)
a certificate is tied to a specific natural asset. certificates for the same asset are interchangeable with each other — but not with certificates for a different asset. fungible within a class, unique across classes.
like ecological stocks — accumulated biomass, stored carbon, aquifer reserves — certificates capture specific, measurable, accumulated value. they're the relational layer: a specific connection between a person and a place, structured as a financial claim that directly funds protection.
mint proceeds fund natural asset acquisition. holders have direct claims on specific ecosystem value. it's the capital formation layer.
coins — flows (ERC-20)
a coin is fully fungible. one unit is the same as any other. like ecosystem service flows — water cycling, nutrient transport, energy transfer — coins circulate value across the entire system without being tied to any single place.
trading generates fees that flow as proceeds to agents who steward natural assets. coins are the instrumental layer — the mechanism that draws capital into the system and routes it to where nature needs it.
how they work together
ecosystems work through the relationship between organisms, stocks, and flows. organisms connect stocks to flows through their operations — a tree draws stored water from the aquifer (stock) and transpires it into the atmosphere (flow). the forest doesn't just sit on the water; it moves it.
the protocol works the same way:
- coins attract capital and generate proceeds through trading activity (flows)
- proceeds route to agents via 0xSplits (the circulatory system)
- agents deploy capital — ensuring certificates, deepening liquidity, funding natural assets (organisms connecting stocks to flows)
- certificates fund real acquisition and protection of natural assets (stocks)
- natural assets generate ecosystem services that sustain everything above (the foundation)
each layer feeds the others. the fungible layer funds the non-fungible layer. flows return to ground.
exchange, not extraction
in living systems, value moves through exchange — gas exchange in lungs and stomata, ion exchange between roots and soil, nutrient exchange through mycorrhizal networks. two systems transferring across a shared boundary. ensurance uses the same word for the same reason.
the protocol's exchange mechanisms let instruments convert across fungibility levels: certificates exchange 1:1 in the protocol pool (stock ↔ stock). certificates convert to $ENSURE (stock → flow). coins exchange on open markets (flow ↔ flow). each conversion is bilateral, relational — not extraction.
this is what it means to naturalize finance: instruments whose structure mirrors the systems they protect. non-fungible where nature is irreplaceable. semi-fungible where relationships are specific. fungible where value needs to circulate. and exchange — not extraction — at every boundary.
where to start
- see the instruments — explore agents, certificates, and coins live on ensurance
- understand the flows — see how proceeds route value between layers
- go deeper — read how ensurance naturalizes finance or why speculation becomes stewardship