MOCCAE used drones to disperse six million ghaf and acacia seeds, carefully prepped to maximize the chances of successful planting. Coinciding with the rainy season in the UAE, the project spanned 25 locations in the northern, eastern, and central regions. The Ministry will closely monitor these locations to assess the germination rate.

Based on the outcomes of the exercise, MOCCAE plans to diversify the use of the technology, add more local plant species, and expand the territory covered.

His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The local planting drive aims to preserve indigenous biodiversity and sustain our precious resources. In line with our commitment to leveraging technology to drive environmental sustainability, we have started using drones in agriculture, and the initial results show great promise.”

He noted that the UAE is one of the world’s leading countries for the use of drones in agriculture, and ranks first globally in terms of the number of seeds dispersed through this innovative method.

MOCCAE has previously used drones in a survey of agricultural facilities across the UAE to establish an accurate database of information on farms.