Before the rainy season, a UNSOS drone dropped 60,000 tree seedballs over 14 square kilometres. In as soon as two years, a forest could emerge, capturing 237,600 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year.
When talking about drones, it’s not often that trees come to mind but that may soon change, at least for some residents of Somalia’s South West State.?
Thought to be the first operation of its kind in peacekeeping, a?United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS)?drone named “Blue Bird”?flew its first greening mission?in February.
Just before the rainy season, the drone?flew over a 14 square kilometre area, near the city of Baidoa, dropping 60,000 tree seedballs. The drone was piloted by Captain Malcom “Scotty” Scott, project leader and UK Logistics Military Advisor within UNSOS Office of the Chief Service Delivery.
A seedball is charcoal mixed with a nutritious binder and once dropped can stay dormant for up to 20 years until rains start the germination process. Approximately 12 per cent of these seedballs make it to maturity. ?
Over a 12-day period, Blue Bird travelled a total of 475 kilometres. The estimated carbon offset by this initial batch of seeds is 237,600 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, based on the Acacia tree average over its lifetime.?
From this initial drop, a?forest of approximately?6,000 trees could become visible in as soon as two years. It also promotes secondary growth.?
Before the flying began, a seed suitability survey and a test grow were carried out.?The success of this project represents the teamwork of many and was done in close coordination with the Government of Somalia and communities.
This effort also has a humanitarian impact as deforestation intensifies flooding and soil erosion, which, in turn, contributes to the accelerated degradation of?land and loss of livelihoods for many Somalis.??
Somalia’s forest coverage has dropped by 83 per cent since the 1980s.
Blue Bird’s journeys are the result of a meeting in 2019 between the Somali President and the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, where commitments were made on both sides to take on reforestation in Somalia.
The UN is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by a 45 per cent by 2030.?
Under the name?Operation Green Field, this technology is supplementing efforts to start tree nurseries within UN compounds around the country. The next areas identified by Blue Bird’s flights will be agreed upon in consultation with the Somali government in the coming weeks.?
