Blockchain-Enabled Biodiversity Data Sharing Frameworks for Global Conservation Initiatives

Abstract

The challenge of effective global biodiversity conservation is complicated by the lack of comprehensive, up-to-date data repositories, and the absence of standards, interoperability, and data ownership and security issues. This review explores the potential of blockchain-based biodiversity data sharing systems as a trustworthy solution for the secure and transparent transmission of ecological data between research institutions, conservation bodies, governments and non-governmental organizations. The study reviews and examines the critical literature on the integration of blockchain with the latest technologies for monitoring biodiversity, such as sensors using Internet of Things (IoT), remote sensing, environmental DNA (eDNA), geographic information systems (GIS), and artificial intelligence (AI). Data integrity, data traceability, data interoperability, scalability, transaction latency, access control, and governance are all some of the key evaluation parameters of data. The analysis of blockchain shows that it can significantly enhance data integrity, transparency and trust among stakeholders and reduce the likelihood of data manipulation and unauthorized access to data in collaborative conservation efforts. But, deployment is limited by transaction speed and storage space requirements, usage of energy in certain consensus protocols and interoperability with different platforms. The uniqueness of this review is that it provides a comprehensive framework for blockchain and current technologies for monitoring biodiversity, and highlights current research gaps, implementation challenges, and research directions for future implementation. The study provides a roadmap for the development of modular, secure, interoperable and decentralised biodiversity information systems, which will enable transparent data sharing, improve multi-stakeholder cooperation and help to evidence-based planning for conservation.