New Australian company AirSeed Technologies delivers an innovative reforestation solution
• Specialised drone technology set to accelerate reforestation globally with capabilities of planting 40,000 trees a day
• Innovative environmental restoration backed by global experience and proven success
• Currently consulting with Australian government and industry bodies with a view to commence local trials in April 2020, providing a rapid rehabilitation response after bushfire devastation
• Seeking investment via equity crowdfunding platform OnMarket, live until 5th March 2020
New Australian start-up AirSeed Technologies is tackling the issue of reforestation and climate change head on. The first-of- its-kind in Australia, the environmental restoration company has created specialised tree-planting drones equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and artificial and data driven intelligence that can rapidly re-seed large ground areas and accelerate the reforestation process.
Australia is currently experiencing its worst bushfire season on record. Since September 2019, more than 25 million acres1 have been destroyed (with 5 million hectares in New South Wales alone) and up to 1 billion animals have perished, including 50% of the koala population in New South Wales2. Eco-systems and wildlife communities have been wiped out, some species close to extinction, and air quality plummeted with more than 350 million metric tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere – equivalent to nearly one year of Australia’s total annual emission3. AirSeed Technologies is gearing up to focus their efforts locally with views of large-scale reforestation trials to start in the coming months within the New South Wales bushfire effected areas.
Co-founded by Mechanical Engineer Andrew Walker and Geo Spatial Data Expert Andries Louw, AirSeed Technologies was born from a personal and deep drive for positive environmental impact.
“There is no denying the urgent need in Australia to rehabilitate the environment and reforest areas severely impacted by the bushfires. There has been a devastating loss of biodiversity and we are witnessing first-hand the effects of climate change and global warming. It is imperative we act now and AirSeed Technologies is part of the many solutions, offering new technology and innovation,” says Andrew.
AirSeed Technologies is also in talks with government and commercial forestry organisations, including Pentarch Forestry in Eden, and collaborating with University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to fast-track seedling development and research.
With a mission to plant 100 million trees per year by 2023 globally, AirSeed Technologies has developed an innovative system that can rapidly restore lost habitats via specialised tree-planting drones that have the ability to plant two seeds every second – approximately 40,000 trees a day4 – while simultaneously reducing the cost of planting trees by 75-80%5. Using a unique payload system called a ‘Podder’, AirSeed Technologies can disperse seed pods 95% faster compared to traditional planting methods and has the ability to access harsh or difficult terrain6.
The technology lies in a unique Seed Pod that nurtures and protects seeds during their early stages of growth. The pods contain over a gram of carbon that is harvested from dying vegetation, capturing that carbon and putting it back into the ground before it is released back onto our atmosphere. AirSeed Technologies can also GPS tag every tree planted which enables post plant monitoring and identification using artificial intelligence, thus quantifying the success of each project undertaken.
Andrew continues, “AirSeed Technologies provides innovative technology that is required for a holistic, long-term approach to regenerate our land and promote habitat recovery. It is important to have manual, mechanical and aerial planting methods working together to restore what Australia has lost, and it needs to start immediately. If we delay, there is an increased risk of further environmental complications like waterway pollution through top soil rain erosion and ecological landscape change through specie eradication, that will ultimately impact native habitats for our wildlife.”
AirSeed Technologies has also partnered with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to determine how their drone technology can assist with mangrove restoration. The ecological catastrophe caused from bushfires mirrors what the coral reef community has experienced through recent mass coral bleaching due to climate change. UTS researchers are supporting AirSeed Technologies in determining the correct science needed to plant the right mangrove seeds and what nutrients they need to grow and develop into effective seedpods.
UTS Associate Professor and Coral Specialist David Suggett says, “High output and highly scalable approaches are needed for rapid and widespread reforestation of lost habitat and it’s critical that new technologies to improve current methods are supported by industry and government. Like the bushfires, Australia needs to act now on reef restoration. Coastal and catchment reforestation is critical to aid recovery of coral reefs, along with a more holistic ‘rainforest to reef’ management approach to mitigate multiple stressors. AirSeed Technologies is helping us to develop and facilitate an optimised and sustainable approach for mangrove restoration.”
Andrew concludes, “Sadly, all around the world we are seeing mass scale deforestation, the effects of climate change and the consequences of global warming. AirSeed Technologies provide a scalable, global solution to accelerate reforestation and a positive impact for the environment.” AirSeed Technologies equity crowdfunding offer is currently live via the OnMarket platform until 5th March 2020.
For more information, visit AirSeed Technologies,