How Drones Can Combat Deforestation

By Ariana Nieves,
Marketing Coordinator
Sustainable Investment Group (SIG)

image showing drone scanning fieldDeforestation has become a dire situation that the United Nations pledged to “halt and reverse” by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, tremendous change is needed to maintain a steady decline. However, 2021 has shown only a slight decrease in deforestation, and more efforts are required to keep up with the approaching deadline.

A company called AirSeed Technologies strives to help with that effort. The company has combined artificial intelligence drones with specialized seed pods to fight against deforestation. Each drone can plant 40,000 pods a day and fly independently. This new method is “25 times faster and 80 percent cheaper than traditional methodologies.”

AirSeed Technologies has designed its seed pods to be compatible with the chosen habitat and then loaded them into the drones. The organization has covered the pods with a layer of waste biomass that protects them from wildlife (such as birds and insects) and helps germination by providing nutrients and probiotics. Once the drones take flight, they follow set flying paths planting in preset patterns and taking note of each pod sown.

The drone records the coordinates of each pod so that the company can track the seeds’ progression. Additionally, the organization stated soil health restoration is a big concern. The company wants to focus on restoring the microbial communities within the soil to boost resiliency.

Soil health is imperative because planting trees can lead to more damage if not done correctly. Planting the wrong type of trees in the wrong location can reduce biodiversity, reduce resiliency, and increase extinctions.

AirSeed Technologies is mindful of the habitat and types of seed pods the drones are dispersing to combat those issues. So far, the organization has planted more than 50,000 trees and hopes to produce 100 million by 2024.

New technological advances such as these could be an incredible game-changer in how we fight against climate change.

Sources:

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/20/this-australian-start-up-wants-to-fight-deforestation-with-an-army-of-drones

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/28/climate/deforestation-tree-loss.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/14/climate/tree-planting-reforestation-climate.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

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