Santa Cruz Cabralia, Bahia, Brazil – With a loud buzz, the drone ascends. Shortly after, it hovers around 20 meters above the surface, scattering a mix of seeds onto the terrain below.

Over time, these seeds are expected to sprout into trees, eventually transforming the landscape into a lush forest.

This scenario is the goal for the startup operating the drone, a device resembling a Pokémon ball with antennas.

The area of 54 hectares (133 acres) here, heavily degraded by agriculture and cattle ranching in Bahia, is just the beginning. The Franco-Brazilian company Morfo aims to revive one million hectares of degraded Brazilian land by 2030 using seed-sowing drones and thorough research and monitoring techniques.

How severe is deforestation?

Deforestation is escalating worldwide. In Brazil, for instance, an area surpassing Spain’s size was lost to deforestation in the Amazon from 2000 to 2018, per the Amazon Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information Network (RAISG). Despite a 50 percent reduction in Amazon deforestation last year, other regions like the Cerrado continue to suffer significant forest losses.

In Afghanistan, prolonged conflict has ravaged forests, with more than one-third of forests lost between 1990 and 2005 according to the World Rainforests group. By 2013, half of all forests were decimated, exacerbated by illegal logging.

Colombia faces similar challenges, with deforestation up 44 percent in 2016 due to armed conflict and displacement pushing groups into forests. Although deforestation decreased under President Gustavo Petro, other Amazon countries like Bolivia are experiencing rising forest losses.

Wildfires in places like Australia, California, and around the Mediterranean contribute significantly to deforestation. Recently, wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta forced thousands of evacuations.

Why is restoring forests crucial?

“Climate change is here, temperatures are rising; it’s already overdue. We need to plant trees now,” says Adrien Pages, Morfo’s co-founder and CEO.

Healthy forests play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change, offering services like carbon storage, temperature regulation, water resource management, and biodiversity conservation. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) states nearly one billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods.

Merely preserving remaining forests won’t suffice. The UN has called for restoring one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030 to prevent ecosystem collapse.

Brazil, for instance, aims to reforest 12 million hectares by decade’s end – equivalent to planting an area the size of England or eight billion trees according to Brazilian environmental platform ((o))eco.

In what ways can drones assist?

While traditional reforestation via manual seedling planting is effective, it is laborious and time-consuming. Drones can accelerate the process and access treacherous or remote areas.

Morfo’s drones, capable of carrying 10kg to 30kg of seeds, can cover up to 50 hectares daily, either autonomously or manually, based on terrain. The seeding plan, defined by studying the land’s environmental conditions, dictates the drone’s flight height and seed density.

“It's not just about the drones for us; preparation and seeds are crucial,” says Pages.

Using drone and satellite imagery along with ground-collected data, data scientists utilize computer vision – a type of AI – to identify trees and seeds, enabling the creation of optimal seeding strategies and monitoring outcomes.

“Scalability is key. Initial project costs for diagnostics, research, and prep will be high, but per hectare costs decrease as the project area grows,” Pages notes.

Which types of seeds are utilized?

“Seed availability is one of the biggest challenges. Combined with low survival rates, securing large quantities of seeds is essential,” says Mikey Mohan, founder of ecoresolve, a US-based ecosystem restoration firm.

Morfo addresses this by developing biodegradable seedpods for more delicate seeds, boasting an 80 percent lab survival rate. The Bahia project tests various seeding methods to find the best approach for growing native species.

By researching species’ climate-change resilience, Morfo aims to ensure the longevity of the newly planted trees without human intervention.

The Atlantic Forest, stretching along Brazil’s coast, has lost over 88 percent of its original tree cover per the NGO SOS Mata Atlantica.

“Our mission is to rebuild functional ecosystems by determining the most efficient species and optimizing seed quantities,” explains Morfo’s chief scientific officer, Emira Cherif.

Using cover plants like legumes to shield soil and aid in nitrogen fixation can boost native seed germination rates.

Incorporating local communities in restoration efforts, seed collection offers a viable way to create sustainable green jobs. “Collecting seeds fosters community value, creates lasting green jobs, and promotes forest conservation,” says Pages.

Last year, Morfo collaborated with 1,000 seed collectors in Brazil, including 51-year-old subsistence farmer Crispim Barbosa de Jesus, who supports his income by gathering seeds after taking an NGO course.

Former tree cutter Barbosa now appreciates the forest's beauty and resilience. Leading a team of seven, including two of his sons, Barbosa supplies native seeds to clients like Morfo.

Where else are drones being deployed for reforestation?

Several companies globally are employing drones for ecological restoration. A peer-reviewed study from 2021 tracked 10 such companies. Many partner with NGOs to restore areas affected by wildfires in Australia and North America.

In Brazil, early-stage projects using drones are mainly on private land. Though Morfo has a new agreement with Rio de Janeiro’s municipal authorities, the 500 hectares it has reforested so far, mainly in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest, were on land degraded by mining or farming.

How effective is using drones for reseeding?

As an emerging method, there is limited long-term data on the success of drone-based reforestation. Yet, after one year, Morfo’s project in Bahia shows hopeful signs.

“Despite Bahia’s severe heatwave in late 2023, our plants are thriving due to cover plants,” says Cherif, who, along with her research team, spent a week in April documenting every germinated seedling.

Collecting such data is crucial for scaling drone use, explains Mohan. “To escalate drone use, further research on seed survival rates and improving these rates is necessary. Ultimately, we need assurance that planted seeds will mature into trees.”