Domain: (5) Protocols for climate action/terraforming
Problem Area: (1) Simplifying complex protocols, especially technological ones
Title: Cherquenco Lab DAO: Building Bridges from Global South connecting and simplifying Web3 ReFi and Real World Protocols for Recarbonizing Global Soils through nature-based solutions and its relationship with Carbon Trading.
Team: Homero Quintana and Rodrigo Venegas
TL;DR
At Cherquenco Lab DAO we build bridges between leading Web3 ReFi Protocols and Real World Protocols for Recarbonizing Global Soils through nature-based solutions. We aim to simplify protocol complexity and facilitate the development of on-the-ground pilot projects to accelerate the availability of tokenized natural capital assets, create “place-based regenerative economies” and help enable the location-based decentralized web.
Our vision is to build the first Global South ReFi DAO focused on creating an ecosystem of on-the-ground pilot regenerative projects that serve as a “collaboration platform Lab” for leading ReFi Protocols to deploy their tools and methodologies on a composable, integrative and collaborative approach. We believe that the ReFi vision is incomplete without tackling and resolving the tension between scalability and place-based initiatives, and we will work to help develop the ReFi “exit-to-reality” success stories that will make it easy for anyone to connect and participate in the location-based decentralized web through connecting with “place-based regenerative economies”.
We propose a modular approach, architecting our on-the-ground pilot projects so each one is valuable and creates a local impact on its own, but all are designed to work together.
1.- What is the existing target protocol you are hoping to improve or enhance? Eg: hand-washing, traffic system, connector standards, carbon trading.
We hope to generate impact by simplifying the increasing complexity within the Web3 ReFi’s and Real World’s ecosystems of protocols around Recarbonizing Global Soils and its relation with Carbon Trading. One important reference is the work being done at REGEN NETWORK, CLIMATE COLLECTIVE, MRV COLLECTIVE and NATURE4CLIMATE, among other pioneers.
2.- What is the core idea or insight about potential improvement you want to pursue?
There Is an urgent need to accelerate the rate at which Climate Action initiatives are being deployed globally. Humanity and we as individuals have a moral obligation to ACT NOW.
At the same time, both Web3 and ReFi have high potential and a key role to play in accelerating Climate Action but are confronted with the need to solve the tension between scalability and place-based initiatives. ReFi cannot ignore place-based issues yet must scale to be able to reach wider adoption and Climate Change positive impact.
Finally, there is agreement within ReFi community on the lack of supply for available tokenized natural capital assets that create a measurable impact on the ground (need to create healthy and productive food forests, permaculture and agroforestry, together with afforestation and reforestation projects to back token economics) and on the existence of projects’ quality issues with root causes in problems related with friction, fragmentation, and bottlenecks in the development of methodologies and protocols; together with the lack of consensus on protocols and methodologies, and lack of standardization for recurring components of modules of protocols that are common across families of project, all this affecting the participation of newer natural capital outcomes beyond carbon (such as soil quality, biodiversity, water).
Our core idea is to provide a set of guidelines that facilitate the simplification of the complexity of current protocols, with a focus on the development of pilots applied to the reality in Chile as a laboratory to expand experiences and learn towards other countries in the global south.
3.- What is your discovery methodology for investigating the current state of the target protocol? Eg: field observation, expert interviews, historical data analysis, failure event analysis
Our discovery methodology with focus on gathering insights through in-depth interviews with experts from institutions and organizations responsible for developing and proposing the protocols of interest, as well as interviews with the intended users of these protocols.
Our main objective will be to identify gaps. Determine the discrepancies between the requirements outlined by protocol creators and the actual needs and expectations of protocol users for local implementation in Global South countries, drawing upon Chile’s initial experience with on-the-ground pilot projects.
4.- In what form will you prototype your improvement idea? Eg: Code, reference design implementation, draft proposal shared with experts for feedback, A/B test of ideas with a test audience, prototype hardware, etc.
A reference design implementation that enables the simplification and integration of existing protocols to facilitate pilot project implementation in Chile. We will interact with experts from institutions and organizations responsible for developing and proposing the protocols of interest for feedback.
5.- How will you field-test your improvement idea? Eg: run a restricted pilot at an event, simulation, workshop, etc.
We will facilitate the development of on-the-ground pilot projects in Chile and provide a soft landing to institutions and organizations responsible for developing, proposing, and adjusting the protocols of interest with a special focus on ReFi protocols.
6.- Who will be able to judge the quality of your output? Ideally name a few suitable judges.
Our development of on-the-ground pilot projects in Chile will have a permanent interaction with k-stakeholders both locally and abroad (protocol developers and local users). We will identify suitable judges guided by REGEN NETWORK team members plus selected representatives from ReFi and Real World ecosystems (i.e. CLIMATE COLLECTIVE, MRV COLLECTIVE, NATURE4CLIMATE, FAO, VERRA, IDB among other relevant ecosystem nodes to be mapped, contacted and involved).
7.- How will you publish and evangelize your improvement idea? Eg: Submit proposal to a standards body, publish open-source code, produce and release a software development kit etc.
We will develop and publish guidelines based on pilot project outcomes, and we will actively promote these guidelines among relevant protocol entities and stakeholders. We will also publish a white paper documenting the project development and results.
8.- What is the success vision for your idea?
Our vision for success is to facilitate the adoption and implementation of relevant simplified protocols (Web3 and Real World) by users in the Global South, drawing upon the on-the-ground initial experiences to be developed from Chile to the world.