Abu Dhabi's drones spread 6.5 million seeds in wild terrain
With UAE's diverse landscape including vast areas of wild habitats that may be difficult for humans to traverse, Abu Dhabi is using specially designed drones to disperse seeds, making sure that local vegetation spreads to such hard-to-reach areas.
The drones covered 320 hectares of habitats. It dispersed 6.5 million seeds of local plant species suitable for mountain and valley habitats in the Jebel Hafit National Park Reserve, including Samr, Shoa, Sorrel, Alqa Ari, and Thamam.
It also dispersed local species suitable for sand dune habitats in the Qasr Al Sarab Nature Reserve, including Arta, Ramth, Haadh, Alqa, Thamam, and Sabt.
The drone seed dispersal programme, in collaboration with Dendra, enables the coverage of vast areas of wild habitats in a short time compared to manual dispersal techniques.
It also allows for the expansion of vegetation cover in difficult terrain without the need for vehicles. The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) also monitors seed dispersal areas to assess the response of wild areas to vegetation changes following the growth of shrubs and plants in the targeted habitats, using AI-powered technologies and sensors.
'We have succeeded in implementing one of the largest seed dispersal programs in the emirate in record time, in line with the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy, Ahmed Al Hashemi, Executive Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector at EAD, said.
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