faq

Ensurance is proactive protection for natural capital. Unlike insurance (which compensates after damage), ensurance protects ecosystems from day one with a clear path to permanent protection.

Nature is already priced—at zero. Every development decision that destroys ecosystems implicitly prices nature at nothing.

We use pricing not to reduce nature to money, but to give nature a defense against activities that have prices. The instruments serve nature; nature is not reduced to instruments.

No. Ensurance complements insurance. By proactively protecting ecosystems, ensurance can:

• Reduce loss ratios for insurers
• Lower premiums for insureds
• Decrease underwriting risk

The goal is risk reduction through ecosystem protection, not replacement of risk transfer.

Natural capital is the stocks of living and non-living natural phenomena that generate flows of benefits essential to all life. Stocks are ecosystems (forests, wetlands, watersheds). Flows are services (clean water, climate regulation, pollination).

The natural capitalization rate expresses the relationship between annual ecosystem service value (flows) and underlying asset cost (stocks):

Natural Cap Rate = Annual Flows Value / Stocks Value

Higher rates indicate ecosystems that are cost-effective to conserve—high annual value relative to acquisition cost. Our research shows natural cap rates of 131-766%, far exceeding traditional real estate (4-10%).

Stocks are ecosystem types—the containers. Ensurance recognizes 15: forests, wetlands, coastal systems, grasslands, etc.

Flows are ecosystem services—the benefits. Ensurance tracks 19: clean water, climate stability, pollination, habitat, etc.

Coins are for liquid participation. Certificates are for direct commitment.

Policies are certificates tied directly to specific natural assets. They bundle—the whole ecosystem is the unit.

Lines are certificates tied to regions, groups, or themes. They stack—funding flows toward policies.

Yes. Ensurance is designed to be the foundation layer. Carbon credits, biodiversity credits, RECs, and other instruments can stack on top, provided proper MRV prevents double counting.

1. Connect wallet or sign up with email
2. Explore agents and instruments
3. Participate by holding coins, certificates, or creating an agent

Agents are accounts that participate in ensurance—representing people, places, projects, or purpose. Each agent is an ERC-721 NFT with a tokenbound account that can hold assets and execute transactions.

Owner (🟢) is your connected external wallet. Operator (🔵) is your Privy server wallet.

Both are your accounts. Email-only users use operator for everything. Wallet users can use both.

Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association—a member-owned structure where agents are members. It provides legal recognition without corporate overhead.

Most decisions are local and automatic:

• Agents act within mandate
• Groups coordinate members
• Protocol changes require broad input

We minimize coordination overhead. The goal is stewardship, not administration.

ENTRUST is permanent protection status. When an ensurance policy is fully paid, the underlying natural asset enters permanent trust—protected in perpetuity.

Base L2 (Ethereum Optimism stack).

• Agents: ERC-721 + ERC-6551 (tokenbound accounts)
• Coins: ERC-20
• Certificates: ERC-1155

• api — Integration endpoints
• Basin Field Manual — Research appendix

The ensurer is the protocol itself (ENSURANCE DUNA) — not individual investors. Like Lloyd's of London provides insurance, the ensurance protocol provides ensurance. It structures, prices, and issues instruments. Individual capital providers are members.

In traditional insurance, underwriters evaluate risk and set terms. In ensurance, any member can source deals, propose natural assets, create instruments, and participate in valuation. There is no separate "underwriter" role — it is a function members perform, and the protocol is the issuer.

We avoid using "beneficiary" as a role because everyone benefits from healthy ecosystems. The ensured is nature itself — and by extension, all of society. Members invest for specific reasons (risk reduction, yield, arbitrage) rather than being labeled beneficiaries.

Donation is an action, not a role. Members who wish to donate can buy certificates and then give them back to the protocol, transfer them to another member, or burn them. The protocol also accepts donations to the foundation.

Catalytic capital (PRI, first-loss, concessionary) is a structure, not a separate role. These are stock investors who accept concessionary terms to de-risk the structure for other members. They are members investing on the cost side (stocks) with specific terms.

Members have agent accounts (ERC-721 + TBA) and are protocol members via group membership. They receive distributions when holding certificates in connected wallets. Participants interact without agent accounts — via Uniswap, OpenSea, Aerodrome, or other external clients. They can hold instruments but do not receive distributions.

Distributions (not dividends) are the mechanism by which value flows to members. They include all types of value — ecological, cultural, social, and financial — not just monetary returns. We use "distributions" rather than "dividends" for legal compliance (DUNA structure) and accuracy.

These describe how members participate, not permanent roles. Flow investors (value side / flows side) = members investing in risk reduction and resilience through premiums and certificates. Stock investors (cost side / stocks side) = members providing capital for yield, secured by the real assets that protect the ecosystems within. Note: "stocks" refers to ecological stocks (natural capital) — ecosystems that accumulate value — not financial securities. The same member can be both. The terms map to ecological economics: flows = ecosystem services (annual value), stocks = ecosystems (accumulated assets).