RISE: A Framework for Resilient Integrated Stewardship Ecosystems
RISE is a framework that shifts the conversation from
“individuals and corporations must do less harm” to
“let’s work together to build regional resilience.”
As ecological, economic and social systems deteriorate in other regions, the resilient region attracts an in-flow of capitals, creating an upward spiral.
Quick Navigation
This is a necessarily lengthy essay. Use the links below to jump quickly to the section that interests you most. Each section has a link to return you to this Quick Navigation.
↓ The Context - explains why RISE exists
↓ The Genesis - explains the historical and evolutionary development of RISE
↓ The Framework - explains the components of RISE
↓ How RISE Works - explains urban and rural responsibilities
The Context
RISE (Resilient Integrated Stewardship Ecosystems) is a comprehensive, whole-of-society response to systemic risks. RISE emerged after decades of evidence that sustainability does not work.
RISE recognises that our current ecological, economic, and social crises are not isolated problems but symptoms of a deeper, systemic dysfunction in our beliefs of how we relate to each other and to the living world.
By integrating innovative economic models, community empowerment strategies, and ecological restoration techniques, RISE offers a holistic approach to address three systemic risks: ecological, economic, social. Our Digital Twins and data-driven decision-making help predict and mitigate various risks, providing a level of foresight and adaptability that is crucial for long-term investment security.
Ecological Risk Mitigation
RISE directly enhances climate resilience through strategic reforestation and river basin restoration, provably reducing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. The framework aligns with and supports international commitments like the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals, providing a clear path for countries to meet their global obligations.
Impact Measurement Tokens (IMTs) offer transparent, blockchain-verified ESG-related impacts, meeting the growing demand from institutional investors for reliable sustainability data.
Economic Risk Mitigation
By diversifying rural economies and reducing urban migration pressures, RISE contributes to macroeconomic stability. Our token ecosystem creates new economic opportunities and can help stabilise local currencies, reducing forex risks for international investors.
RISE’s 20-year partnerships between corporations and communities provide predictable, stable economic conditions that are highly attractive to long-term investors.
Social Risk Mitigation
RISE promotes social cohesion through community empowerment and participatory governance structures, addressing root causes of rural poverty and environmental degradation. This proactive approach to social stability can significantly reduce political risks for investors.
The framework supports education and skill development in rural areas, creating a more skilled and stable workforce—‚a key consideration for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Regulatory Framework
RISE collaborates with governments to develop supportive regulatory frameworks that protect investor interests while promoting sustainable development. We facilitate ‘regulatory sandboxes’ that allow for innovative financial mechanisms while ensuring proper oversight, creating a balanced environment for investment and innovation.
Market Growth Potential
RISE creates new markets for ecosystem services and regenerative products, opening up novel investment opportunities. By improving rural prosperity, we expand domestic markets and create new consumer bases, offering significant growth potential for investors.
Case Studies and Projections:
Based on our models, a region fully implementing RISE could see a 30% increase in strategic forest cover (to increase the frequency and duration of more gentle rainfall), 25% increase in drinkable water, 20% reduction in rural poverty, and 45% improvement in rural GPI (Genuine Progress Indicators) over a 20-year period, demonstrating the long-term benefits for both environmental restoration and growth in a number of multi-capitals.
International Collaboration
RISE facilitates international knowledge sharing and collaboration, integrating participating countries into global sustainability efforts. This increased global engagement can enhance a region’s reputation and attractiveness to international investors.
Adaptive Governance
Central to RISE’s adaptive governance model is the integration of Impact-Weighted Accounting (IWA) developed by Harvard Business School, a revolutionary approach that redefines how organisations measure, report, and manage their societal and environmental impacts.
IWA serves as the financial backbone of this new governance paradigm, translating multidimensional impacts into monetary terms across all six capitals: financial, manufactured, intellectual, social, human, and natural. By incorporating tools such as the Integrated Profit & Loss (IP&L) statement and Impact Return on Investment (IRoI), IWA enables decision-makers to holistically assess value creation and destruction.
This approach transforms governance from a purely financial focus to one that balances economic viability with societal well-being and ecological stewardship. The use of standardised impact metrics and impact-weighted financial statements ensures transparency and comparability, while the application of the double materiality principle guarantees that both financial risks and broader societal impacts are considered in strategic decisions.
Through IWA, RISE’s governance structure becomes inherently adaptive, capable of responding to complex, interconnected challenges by providing decision-ready data that reflects true societal value. This integration of IWA principles not only enhances accountability and reduces greenwashing but also aligns governance mechanisms with the long-term, impact-focused goals of the RISE framework, fostering a governance model that is truly fit for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Transparency and Reporting
RISE’s token system and Digital Twins provide real-time, transparent reporting on various indicators influenced by a rural community. This meets the growing demand for comprehensive realtime ESG data among institutional investors, facilitating more informed investment decisions.
The Genesis of RISE
The need for a framework like RISE can be better understood within the context of four observations:
↓ Today’s complex societies are misaligned with Nature
↓ There is an evolutionary organising principle that continually nudges alignment with Nature
↓ Human consciousness evolves and is poised to make a major evolutionary transition (also called a momentous leap)
↓ The gradual emergence of a Fourth Sector with a need for its own governance.
Observation 1: Today’s complex societies are misaligned with Nature
We start with the observation that the systems and structures that underpin today’s complex societies—education, healthcare, governance, economics, etc.—are fundamentally interconnected and interrelated. For simplicity, we refer to the collection of our complex systems as an Interstructure. Each country has their own interstructure, although its core design is essentially identical to other countries.
The entire global interstructure is misaligned with the way living systems work in Nature. The interstructural misalignment is the simple reason for the metacrisis.
This observation leads us to the logical conclusion that there can be no simple solution to any of the symptoms that define the metacrisis: changing a societal interstructure—particularly in complex societies—is challenging, since the incentive mechanism is designed to maintain the interstructure.
“Today’s science thinks too primitively; indeed it could be said that it’s thinking is an octave too low. It has still not ventured far enough into the realm of energy, and its attitude has remained purely materialistic. For this reason it is principally to blame for the state of affairs we are experiencing today. In all probability this development was necessary, for how else should a misguided humanity perceive the true interdependencies?” - Viktor Schauberger in Implosion, No.10 p.30, 1963 Natural Farm Husbandry
So our first observation is that the entire class-based interstructure of all modern complex societies is misaligned with Nature and cannot easily be changed. System change is challenging without addressing the incentive mechanism.
Observation 2: An evolutionary organising principle continually nudges alignment with Nature
Rather than attempting to fix the interstructural misalignment, we observe the active organising principle within all living systems to adapt and evolve into higher expressions of themselves when under systemic pressure. We refer to this organising principle as the Evolutionary Impulse.
The Evolutionary Impulse encapsulates the dynamic processes that have guided life’s evolution from simple unicellular organisms to the intricate web of life we have today. This organising principle emphasises continuous change, expanding complexity, and the importance of cooperation and self-organisation, all of which have been instrumental in the grand narrative of evolution over the past 13.8 billion years. Through these mechanisms, life has not only persisted but thrived, adapting to an ever-changing planet.
This organising principle is also the cause of a plethora of grassroots, bottom-up initiatives springing up globally with alternatives to the current class-based interstructure. These alternatives are a predictable conclusion to the roughly 200-500-year cycle all empires experience.
How old is our globalised empire?
When we use the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 to mark the beginning of this round of empire growth, we are 376 years into the cycle (in 2024). The phases can be summarised as follows, with details available in The Cycle of Globalisation:
Phase 1 - Mixture & Stability: 1648 - 1776
Phase 2 - Gestation & Early Growth: 1776 - 1823
Phase 3 - Expansion & Prosperity: 1823 - 1949
Phase 4 - Conflict & Overshoot: 1945 - 1972
Phase 5 - Hubris & Universal Empire: 1972 - 2009
Phase 6 - Totalitarianism & Decay: 2009 - 2019
Phase 7/0 - Invasion & Emergence: 2020 - 2050?
So our second observation is that as we approach the predictable end of this cycle of a class-based empire (the bad news), the good news is that the Evolutionary Impulse continues to nudge us (the human species) toward expanding complexity, and a recognition of the importance of cooperation and self-organisation.
Observation 3: The simultaneous evolution of consciousness
We observe that the human species has experienced four Major Evolutionary Transitions as human consciousness evolved over the past 3-4 million years:
The Mimetic (beginning around 3.5 MYA - The first hominins to be discovered and described from Africa, very basic tool use, used mime to communicate)
The Magical (beginning around 1 MYA - Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, and the Neanderthals; advanced tool-making and the use of fire; characterised by animism, emotional engagement, and a magical connection to all living beings)
The Mythic (beginning around 60,000 YA - Homo sapiens, a large and complex brain, the capacity for language and the telling of myths to explain and make sense of the human experience)
The Material (beginning around 5,000 YA - The rise of civilisations focussed on extraction from Nature to build the material world)
Over the past 5,000 years, humanity has witnessed the rise and fall of class-based interstructures (empires, which last 200-500 years). Each empire results in the formation of cities with monumental architecture, written language, social hierarchy, poverty and wealth, top-down power structures, organised warfare, patriarchy, the depletion of Nature, objectified reality, scarcity, and separation. A unique outcome of the current empire is its global nature. All prior empires were geographically constrained.
When we superimpose the predictable end of the Cycle of our Globalised Empire and the Evolution of Consciousness, we notice that the end of this empire coincides with a (potential) transition to a planetary consciousness. This consciousness, already visible in thousands of grassroots initiatives, transcends national, cultural, and individual identities with an understanding that humanity shares a collective responsibility for the well-being of the Earth and all its inhabitants—human and more-than-human.
So our third observation is that:
Given the end of an empire misaligned with Nature, and
Given the Evolutionary Impulse guiding us toward expanding complexity, cooperation and self-organisation,
Logically, there is now a growing cohort of individuals who have and are evolving toward a planetary consciousness. This cohort is actively working towards the predictable emergence of an entirely new values-based interstructure more aligned with Nature. While values-based societies have existed before (the Haudenosaunee and the Khoisan, for example), this is the first time in human history that the potential exists for a planetary values-based interstructure.
How we get to a planetary values-based interstructure is the subject of the next observation.
Observation 4: The emergence of Fourth Sector governance
We observe that different forms of governance evolved throughout the Material Consciousness period and as human consciousness developed:
The Public Sector formed during the earliest civilisations, which emerged around 3000 BCE in regions such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley. These societies developed complex social structures characterised by urbanisation, agricultural surplus, and the need for organised governance.
The Private Sector began to take shape during the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration which resulted from the Doctrine of Discovery in the 16th century. Double-entry bookkeeping, codified in 1494, was a key enabler of the growth of the private sector, since it enabled global trade.
The NGO/Non-Profit Sector began to emerge in the 19th century, driven by social movements and the need for advocacy outside of governmental structures. These social movements arose as they noticed a gap between the services provided by the Public and Private sectors and the needs of the society.
Limitations of current governance
We further observe that each sector’s governance has limitations that prevent the class-based interstructure from evolving to a values-based interstructure:
Private Sector: Corporations are limited by their directors’ fiduciary duty to generate returns for shareholders, which can constrain their ability to prioritise social and environmental goals over profits. In the era of sustainability, corporations tend to favour greenwashing to avoid a negative impact on profits.
Public Sector: Government entities are often bound by rigid bureaucratic structures, short election cycles, and political pressures that make it challenging to implement long-term policies with delayed benefits.
NGO/Non-Profit Sector: Non-profits are restricted in their ability to generate revenue and accumulate capital, which can hinder their financial sustainability and impact.
Public-Private-Partnerships: While Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are often touted as a way to combine the efficiency of the private sector with the public interest focus of government, they can lead to problematic outcomes, particularly when it comes to surveillance and technofeudalism. These outcomes form part of the predictable rise of authoritarianism during the final phases of empire.
Global Agreements and Frameworks: The SDGs, Paris Agreement, Net Zero, ESG, Global Reporting Initiative and many others have collectively shown significant limitations in achieving meaningful results.
So our fourth observation is that Fourth Sector Governance is a prerequisite if we are to adequately address the metacrisis. When aligned with the Evolutionary Impulse, this new form of governance—distinct from yet compatible with the existing sectors—will expand complexity and enable society-wide cooperation and self-organisation.
Fourth Sector Governance will view humans not as encroaching on Nature, but as active agents in shaping the land to produce prolific abundance and systemic resilience. Humans—when operating under Fourth Sector Governance—can become a keystone species, or a species upon which entire ecosystems depend.
The Framework
RISE offers a comprehensive, unifying framework that harmonises the need for meaningful work, ecological restoration, and societal well-being and abundance. It takes into account the four observations outlined in ↑ The Genesis of Rise and introduces innovative mechanisms to bridge the gap between class-based urban interstructures and values-based rural interstructures.
At the heart of RISE is the concept of commitment pooling, where communities make collective promises to the private sector, helping corporations achieve their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals while simultaneously driving local ecological restoration and community development. This approach positions humans not as separate from Nature, but as integral, active agents in shaping landscapes towards prolific abundance.
Within the RISE framework, communities evolve into stewards of ecosystem vitality, their daily actions weaving a web of relationships that sustain both human needs and the flourishing of all life. By applying our unique capacities for foresight, innovation, and collaborative action, humans can become a keystone species that heals rather than harms.
RISE leverages a token ecosystem comprising River Basin Stewardship Tokens (RBSTs), Community Engagement Tokens (CETs), and Impact Measurement Tokens (IMTs) to facilitate healthy value flow from class-based interstructures into values-based interstructures. This token ecosystem enables communities to make tangible commitments to restore specific areas within river basins or bioregions, rewards local participation, and provides verifiable proof of impact for corporate ESG reporting.
Through thoughtful design and management of agroecology systems, water harvesting techniques, and biodiversity corridors, communities can enhance Nature’s inherent productivity, creating landscapes that are more diverse, resilient, and abundant than they might be without human intervention. This approach recognises that human activity, when guided by ecological wisdom and supported by appropriate technologies, can be a powerful force for regeneration.
RISE employs a multi-layered governance structure that balances global vision with local action, incorporating bioregional cooperative banks as key facilitators of the commitment pooling process. These banks, jointly owned and operated by local NGOs and civil society organisations, manage the token ecosystem and coordinate stakeholder engagement.
By integrating commitment pooling and a token-based economy, RISE creates a direct link between corporate sustainability efforts and measurable, community-led environmental stewardship. This innovative approach transforms corporate sustainability from a compliance exercise into a driver of genuine positive impact, aligning business success with ecological health and societal well-being.
In the RISE framework, rural communities become values-based settlements that offer a viable alternative to class-based urban settlements currently in decline. These communities embody principles such as egalitarian social structures, emphasis on personal freedom and autonomy, deep reverence for Nature, mutual aid economic practices, and cultural resilience.
By positioning humans as keystones in this way, RISE fosters a profound shift in our relationship with the land—from exploitation to co-evolution, scarcity to abundance, degradation to regeneration, and class-based to values-based. This framework offers a path towards national resilience that is deeply rooted in community empowerment, ecological wisdom, and innovative economic models.
Core Principles
While each river basin or bioregion implementation will be unique, the RISE approach incorporates one or more of the following principles.
Holistic Approach: RISE recognises that droughts, floods, and extreme weather are not isolated events and they will not be reduced by minimising CO2 emissions. They are caused by damaged hydrological cycles, which are intricately connected to ecosystem health, particularly forests’ ability to manage rainfall through bioprecipitation and the biotic pump effect. RISE provides an opportunity for meaningful work for the unemployed in rural communities to restore hydrological cycles. Community members are paid via mutual credit mechanisms.
Community Empowerment and Values-based Living: RISE reimagines rural communities as values-based settlements that are not merely beneficiaries but active participants and stewards in the resilience restoration process. Their thriving, abundant settlements offer a viable alternative to class-based urban settlements currently in decline. These values include:
Egalitarian social structures promoting sharing and consensus decision-making
Emphasis on personal freedom and autonomy
Deep reverence for nature and interconnectedness with the living world
Mutual aid economic practices and reciprocal exchange
Cultural resilience and long-term resilience to systemic shocks
Understanding and stewardship of local and regional water cycles, including the role of vegetation in bioprecipitation
Values-based Interstructure Development: RISE goes beyond “lifting rural areas out of poverty” to develop comprehensive rural interstructures—dynamic, interconnected systems that support rural abundance. This includes physical, social, economic, and cultural elements that interact to create resilient and appealing values-based rural settlements.
Alternative to Urban-Centric Economic Growth: RISE offers a viable alternative to urban migration by creating thriving rural communities that are just as prosperous as cities, but based on different values and additional capitals beyond merely financial capital. It distinguishes between class-based urban settlements and values-based rural communities, providing people with a genuine, viable choice between abundant rural and congested urban living.
Multi-Capital Value Flows: RISE facilitates healthy value flows between rural and urban areas, recognising multiple forms of capital beyond the financial. It leverages corporate strengths in financial and manufactured capital to support rural communities' growth in natural, human, social, and spiritual capitals.
Private Sector as Catalyst: RISE recognises the private sector as a crucial enabler of large-scale ecological restoration and societal resilience. By providing innovative mechanisms for engagement, RISE empowers businesses to fulfil their ESG commitments in ways that are authentic, ethical, and deeply contextualised to national ecosystems and rural communities. This approach transforms corporate sustainability from a compliance exercise into a driver of genuine positive impact, aligning business success with ecological health and societal well-being.
Integration of Indigenous Wisdom and Modern Technology: RISE bridges traditional ecological and Indigenous knowledge with cutting-edge technological solutions, creating a symbiosis that enhances both restoration efforts and community engagement.
Resilience Building: Beyond mere regeneration or sustainability, RISE aims to build national resilience against future shocks—be they environmental, social, or economic.
Innovative Mutual Credit Economics: By introducing new economic models and incentive structures, RISE reimagines how value is created, measured, and distributed in relation to ecological stewardship.
Human-Nature Symbiosis: RISE positions humans as potential keystone species, active agents in shaping landscapes towards prolific abundance. It recognises human capacity to enhance ecosystem productivity and biodiversity when guided by ecological wisdom.
How RISE Works
The RISE (Resilient Integrated Stewardship Ecosystems) framework operates on a foundation of long-term commitment and mutual benefit between businesses and rural communities. This section outlines the key steps and processes involved in implementing RISE, with a focus on the initial phases that set the stage for a minimum 20-year partnership.
While RISE provides a structured approach to fostering resilience and sustainable development, it’s important to note that each implementation is unique. The process outlined here serves as a guideline, adaptable to the specific needs, resources, and contexts of the communities and businesses involved. The strength of RISE lies in its flexibility to accommodate diverse ecosystems, cultures, and economic realities. As such, participants are encouraged to view these steps as a roadmap that can be customised to best serve their particular circumstances and shared goals. The key is to maintain the core principles of long-term commitment, mutual benefit, and trust-building throughout the journey.
0. Preparation
Rural Community Organisation
Formation of Resilience Council: Communities come together to establish a local Resilience Council, representing diverse stakeholders within the bioregion.
Resource Assessment: The council conducts a comprehensive inventory of available resources, including natural capital, human skills, and cultural assets.
Resilience Strategy Development: Based on the assessment, the council develops a strategy for building resilience in their bioregion.
Promise Formulation: The council defines a clear, actionable promise they can make to potential corporate partners, outlining the specific ecological and social improvements they can deliver with financial support.
Report Creation: A detailed report is prepared, documenting the community's resources, resilience strategy, and proposed promise to corporates.
Corporate Preparation
ESG Priority Identification: Corporations analyse their business operations and customer feedback to identify key environmental and social issues most relevant to their stakeholders.
Impact Assessment: Companies evaluate their current ecological footprint and areas where they can make the most significant positive impact.
Goal Setting: Based on the assessment, corporations set specific, measurable ESG goals aligned with their business strategy.
Resource Allocation: Companies determine the resources they can commit to achieving these goals, including financial investment, expertise, and technology.
Report Creation: A comprehensive report is prepared, outlining the company's ESG priorities, goals, and resources they can contribute to a RISE partnership.
Platform Engagement
Report Upload: Both rural communities and corporations upload their respective reports to the RISE platform.
Profile Creation: Each entity creates a detailed profile on the platform, highlighting its key attributes, goals, and resources.
Matching Algorithm: The RISE platform uses sophisticated algorithms to analyse the uploaded reports and profiles, identifying potential matches between communities and corporations based on complementary goals and resources.
Initial Recommendations: The platform generates a list of potential partnerships for both communities and corporations to review.
This preparatory phase sets the foundation for successful engagement and collaboration within the RISE framework. By clearly defining their goals, resources, and expectations upfront, both rural communities and corporations can enter the engagement phase with a clear understanding of what they can offer and what they hope to achieve. This preparation increases the likelihood of finding suitable partners and establishing successful, long-term RISE projects.
1. Engagement and Discovery
Initial Contact: Businesses and rural communities are brought together through the RISE platform or facilitators.
Mutual Introduction: Both parties share their goals, resources, and expectations. Businesses outline their ESG objectives and available financial capital, while communities present their natural, social, and human capital.
Ecosystem Assessment: A comprehensive evaluation of the local ecosystem is conducted, identifying areas for restoration and potential for improvement.
Capacity Building: Workshops and training sessions are organised to ensure all participants understand the RISE framework, its goals, and the long-term nature of the commitment.
2. Planning and Design
Collaborative Goal Setting: Businesses and communities jointly establish clear, measurable objectives for ecosystem restoration and community development.
Project Mapping: A detailed plan is created, outlining specific restoration activities, timelines, and milestones over the 20-year period.
Resource Allocation: Both parties determine what resources they will contribute over time, including financial investments, labour, and expertise.
Governance Structure: A local governance model is established, ensuring equitable representation and decision-making power for both businesses and communities.
3. Trust Building and Commitment
Transparency Protocols: Implement systems for full transparency of all activities, capital flows, and decision-making processes.
Conflict Resolution Mechanism: Establish clear procedures for addressing disagreements or challenges that may arise during the project.
Community Engagement: Organise events and activities to foster relationships between business representatives and community members.
Formal Agreement: Draft and sign a comprehensive agreement detailing the 20-year commitment, roles, responsibilities, and expected outcomes.
4. Implementation Kickoff
Initial Funding Release: Businesses provide the first tranche of funding as agreed in the planning phase.
Community Mobilisation: Local communities begin organising work teams and preparing for restoration activities.
Technology Setup: Implement the necessary technological infrastructure for tracking progress, managing tokens, and facilitating communication.
Baseline Measurements: Conduct thorough baseline assessments of ecological health, community well-being, and other relevant metrics.
5. Early-Stage Activities
Restoration Initiation: Begin the first phase of ecological restoration activities as outlined in the project plan.
Community Projects: Launch initial community development projects identified during the planning phase.
Training and Skill Development: Provide ongoing training to community members in restoration techniques, project management, and relevant technologies.
Business Integration: Establish processes for businesses to integrate project outcomes into their ESG reporting and corporate strategies.
6. Token System Activation
This comprehensive token system creates a direct link between ecological restoration, community development, and corporate financial performance, while also fostering a resilient local economy. It provides powerful incentives for long-term commitment to the RISE framework from both corporates and community members, aligning the interests of shareholders, local businesses, community participants, and ecosystems.
River Basin Stewardship Tokens (RBSTs): Issue RBSTs representing specific areas under restoration, assigning stewardship responsibilities. Corporates purchase these tokens, which are then added to their balance sheet as assets.
Community Engagement Tokens (CETs): Implement the CET system to reward community participation and facilitate local economic activity.
Impact Measurement Tokens (IMTs): Begin issuing IMTs as initial milestones are achieved, providing verifiable proof of impact. As IMTs are issued, they increase the value of the corresponding RBSTs held by corporates.
Corporate Value Integration: As the value of RBSTs increases due to successful restoration efforts (verified by IMTs), this directly impacts the corporate’s balance sheet and, consequently, their share price. This mechanism ensures that the RISE strategy is financially meaningful to the corporate, aligning ecological restoration with shareholder value.
Token Economy Education: Conduct workshops to ensure all participants understand how to use and benefit from the token ecosystem, including the financial implications for corporates and the economic opportunities for communities.
Reporting Integration: Establish processes for corporates to incorporate RBST valuations and IMT achievements into their financial reports and ESG disclosures, further emphasising the tangible benefits of their participation in RISE.
Local Business Engagement: Community leaders actively encourage local businesses to accept CETs as a form of payment for goods and services. This creates a thriving circular economy within the community, where tokens earned through restoration work can be spent locally, boosting economic activity and reinforcing the value of ecosystem stewardship. Leaders may offer incentives or recognition to businesses that actively participate in the CET system, further strengthening the local token economy.
7. Monitoring and Adaptive Management
Regular Check-ins: Establish a schedule of meetings between business and community representatives to review progress and address any issues.
Data Collection and Analysis: Continuously gather data on ecological indicators, community well-being, and project milestones.
Transparent Reporting: Regularly publish updates on project progress, token transactions, and impact measurements for all stakeholders.
Adaptive Strategies: Based on monitoring results, collaboratively adjust project plans and activities as needed to ensure optimal outcomes.
8. Five-Year Milestone and Beyond
Comprehensive Review: Conduct a thorough evaluation of the project’s first five years, celebrating successes and identifying areas for improvement.
Long-term Strategy Refinement: Adjust the long-term strategy based on lessons learned and changing circumstances.
Scaling and Replication: Explore opportunities to expand the project or replicate successful aspects in other areas.
Transition to MRV Focus: Shift primary focus to the Measure-Report-Verify (MRV) process, ensuring continued progress and accountability over the remaining project lifespan.
Throughout this process, the emphasis remains on building and maintaining trust between businesses and rural communities. The RISE framework facilitates a symbiotic relationship where businesses achieve meaningful ESG outcomes while communities benefit from ecological restoration and sustainable development. By committing to a minimum 20-year partnership, both parties invest in long-term, sustainable change that creates lasting positive impact for ecosystems and society.
The success of RISE relies on the ongoing commitment, open communication, and collaborative spirit of all involved. As the project progresses beyond the initial phases, the established systems and relationships provide a solid foundation for continued growth, adaptation, and mutual benefit, ultimately contributing to national resilience and ecological health.
Token Ecosystem
At the core of RISE’s innovative alternative-to-debt approach is its token ecosystem, comprising three distinct yet interconnected tokens. Collectively, the token ecosystem enables healthy valueflow from a class-based interstructure into a values-based interstructure.
River Basin Stewardship Token (RBST): This non-fungible token represents stewardship of specific areas within a river basin. Unlike traditional property rights, RBSTs confer responsibility rather than ownership. The value of these tokens is directly tied to the ecological health and restoration progress of the associated area, creating a tangible incentive for ongoing stewardship.
Community Engagement Token (CET): This fungible token serves as a local currency within RISE communities. Community members earn CETs by participating in restoration work, attending educational workshops, or contributing to local initiatives. These tokens can be exchanged for goods and services within the community, fostering a local, regenerative economy.
Impact Measurement Token (IMT): These non-fungible tokens represent achieved milestones in the restoration process. They serve as verifiable proof of impact, crucial for transparent ESG reporting and impact investing.
A draft Concept Note for the tokenomics system can be found here.
Governance Structure
RISE employs a multi-layered governance structure that balances global vision with local action:
Global/International Level: Transition Collective (TC): This body comprises thought leaders, strategists, and experts in fields ranging from agroecology to decentralised governance. The TC sets the overall direction for RISE, ensures consistency across implementations, and facilitates knowledge sharing.
Thought leaders and strategists in resilience and decentralised governance
Global ethical accounting firm (alternative to Big Four)
Global corporate investors/sponsors/donors
Country Level: Bioregional Resilience Collaborative (BRC): Operating at the national level, the BRC adapts the RISE framework to local contexts, liaises with government bodies, and oversees the national token economy. In South Africa, this body is known as CSAR: The Collab of Southern African Resilience. We’ve produced a Concept Note here.
National leadership/strategist group
Standard setting and verification body
Government liaison
National BRC Cooperative Bank
Mints and trades all national tokens
Allocates funds to local bioregional primary cooperative banks
Local Level: Bioregion Resilience Initiative: This is where RISE comes to life. Each initiative is a unique constellation of local entities including land trusts, cooperative banks, agroecology cooperatives, and community DAOs (Decentralised Autonomous Organisations). These bodies work in concert to implement RISE principles on the ground.
Local land trust
Local Primary Cooperative Bank
Local Primary Agricultural Cooperative(s)
Community DAO for each community
Land Steward DAO for all land stewards in the Bioregion
Digital Twin Governance Layer (optional, country-specific)
Digital Twin Creation and Management Team
Data Collection and Integration System
Digital Twin Certification Board
Digital Twin Integration Committee
Technology Infrastructure
Blockchain platform for decentralised public ledger
Smart contract architecture
Data oracles for real-world data integration
Digital Twin platforms
Bioprecipitation monitoring and modeling systems
APIs for secure data exchange
CAST (Certification, Assetisation, Securitisation, Trading) Process
Certification: Formal recognition of measured ecosystem services
Assetisation: Conversion of certified services into living capital assets via Digital Twins
Securitisation: Creation of financial instruments based on living capital assets
Trading and Value Creation: Facilitation of trading these instruments in markets
Private Sector as Catalyst of National Resilience
Integration of Genuine Progress Indicators (GPIs) with share prices
ESG reporting through Impact Measurement Tokens
Investment opportunities in river basin restoration projects
Participation in local token economies
Public Sector Engagement
Advocate for policy changes that support decentralised, community-led restoration efforts
Partner with regulatory bodies to create ‘sandboxes’ for testing innovative financial mechanisms (e.g., token systems, impact-linked bonds)
Establish formal partnerships between RISE initiatives, local governments, and private sector entities
Work with national and local governments to allocate public funds for RISE initiatives
Demonstrate how RISE can contribute to multiple policy objectives (e.g., biodiversity conservation, rural development, climate resilience)
Community/NGO Engagement
Participation in restoration work rewarded with CETs
Local marketplaces for CET exchange
Community involvement in governance through DAOs
Integration of indigenous knowledge in restoration strategies
Impact Measurement
Ecological restoration metrics
Forest cover percentage and distribution
Evapotranspiration rates
Local and regional precipitation patterns
Biological aerosol production
Cloud formation and characteristics
Socio-economic indicators
Corporate ESG performance
Real-time data from Digital Twins
Funding and Financial Structure
Initial funding from corporate ESG-related partners
Token sales (RBSTs)
Government grants and subsidies
Impact investment
Prototype Implementation Phases
Conceptual Stage: Refining the model, building partnerships
Pilot Phase: Implementing in Genadendal, Western Cape, South Africa
Implementing bioprecipitation-focused reforestation projects in strategic locations
Expansion Phase: Scaling across South Africa and Africa
Global Adoption: Expanding to other developing nations and eventually worldwide
Strategic Reforestation for Bioprecipitation
RISE incorporates strategic reforestation plans that consider:
Coastal areas to initiate moisture flow from water bodies
Riparian zones to maintain ecosystem connectivity
Windward sides of mountains to enhance orographic rainfall
Deforested areas within rainfall catchments
Ecological edges to modify local climate patterns
Forest bands to optimise rain recycling
Urban peripheries to create moisture corridors
These efforts aim to enhance the biotic pump effect and improve regional precipitation patterns.
Partnerships and Collaborations
For a full list of organizations already identified, see the Next System Database.
Environmental organisations (e.g., Biome Trust, One Earth)
Financial innovation groups (e.g., Dark Matter Labs, Four Returns)
Regenerative economics initiatives (e.g., Regen Foundation)
Forest hydrology and bioprecipitation research (e.g., International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Biotic Pump Greening Group)
Academic and research institutions
Regulatory Compliance and Policy Advocacy
Alignment with national environmental policies
Advocacy for supportive regulatory frameworks
Collaboration with government agencies
Education and Capacity Building
Training programs for local communities
Educational programs on the role of ecosystems in water cycles, including bioprecipitation and the biotic pump effect
Workshops for corporate partners
Public awareness campaigns
Risk Management
Regular audits and transparency reports
Diversification of restoration projects
Adaptive management based on Digital Twin projections
Monitoring and adapting to changes in precipitation patterns as reforestation efforts progress
Scaling and Replication
Standardised methodology for implementing RISE in new regions
Knowledge sharing platform for best practices
Mentorship program for new Bioregion Resilience Initiatives