Blockchain as environmental management registry
Daniel Weigert Cavagnari, Lia Maris Orth Ritter Antiqueira · Environmental Development · 2026
This study proposes a blockchain-based framework for registering environmental occurrences within a defined territorial scope. Unlike blockchain systems developed for financial transactions or logistics, the model is structured to support governance-oriented environmental records that integrate ecological, social, and institutional dimensions. The framework introduces a domain-specific consensus mechanism, Proof-of-Eco-Awareness (PoEa), which replaces competitive validation with context-sensitive expertise selection and reputation-based accountability. Environmental occurrences are classified using multidimensional gain-and-loss interpretations, enabling nuanced representation of human–nature and nature–human interactions. A structured identity–inheritance logic allows related occurrences to be longitudinally linked across blocks without compromising immutability. The schema synthesizes elements derived from established environmental databases and organizes them into 67 structured record fields, grouped into identification, measurement, complementary, classification, and dimensional categories. The model is illustrated through a worked example based on the Environmental Protection Area of the Iraí River, Brazil. By consolidating fragmented environmental data into a continuous, publicly auditable territorial biography, this framework contributes a governance-oriented architectural model for environmental data management. Although conceptual, the study provides defined operational parameters, threat considerations, and validation logic to support future implementation and empirical evaluation.