Darwin Innovation research
Mass and Precise Mangrove Restoration Using Aerial Drone Systems
Harnessing drone technology to scale up mangrove ecosystem restoration, enhancing climate resilience and supporting sustainable livelihoods in coastal regions.
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Partner institutions
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Countries involved
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Active field sites
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Mangrove species
Why this matters
Restoring coastlines at the pace the climate demands
Mangrove forests shelter coastlines, sustain marine ecosystems, and support the livelihoods of millions of people in coastal communities. They are disappearing faster than they can be restored by hand. ManRADS investigates whether drone-based seeding systems, designed and operated with local communities, can restore them at the scale the climate, environmental and socio-economic crisis requires.
Our approach
Technology in local hands
Restoring mangroves at the scale the climate requires means going beyond what hand-planting can achieve. ManRADS uses drones to drop propagules, part seed and part seedling, with precision across intertidal zones where conditions make manual access difficult or impossible.
The project’s deeper purpose is to put that technology in the hands of the people who need it most.
Local universities trial building their own drones, to ascertain if local coastal communities could do the same and learn to operate them.
The ManRADS model
How it works
From survey to self-sufficiency
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Survey the site and run field trials
Field teams, ZSL and ecologists choose suitable species and sites. Trials test different weights, anchors and predation-protection devices.
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Build local drones
Partner universities trial building their own drones. The Technical University of Panama designs the propagule hoppers and release mechanisms.
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Drop propagules
With weights, anchors and predator protection optimised in the trials, drones deliver propagules with precision across the intertidal zone.
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Grow and train
After the drop, local community members trained to run surveys monitor the propagules as they establish.
- Aerial drone
- Weighted and protected propagule, ejected from the hopper at selected coordinates
- High-tide line
- Low-tide line
- Propagule remains in place through the tides, establishing anchoring roots and leaves
- Intertidal substrate, between the tide lines
- Established mangrove forest
Fig. Diagram of the process of establishing mangrove propagules by drone. Rhizophora mucronata, Bruguiera cylindrica and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza are dropped to lie horizontally and form a J shape as they grow, which is how they grow naturally.
Our partners
An international collaboration
Five institutions across four countries, led by the University of Greenwich and funded by the UK Government through Defra and the Darwin Initiative.
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University of Greenwich
London, United Kingdom 51.48°N 0.00°E
Lead institution
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Institut Pertanian Bogor
Bogor, Java, Indonesia 6.59°S 106.79°E
Local partner
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University of the Philippines Visayas
Iloilo, Panay Island, Philippines 10.70°N 122.56°E
Local partner
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Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá
Panama City, Panama 8.97°N 79.53°W
Technological partner
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Zoological Society of London
London, United Kingdom 51.48°N 0.00°E
Iloilo, Panay Island, Philippines 10.70°N 122.56°E
Advisory partner
From the field
Latest updates
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Development of propagule protection for Avicennia and Sonneratia propagules
Each one of these propagules is much smaller in size and morphology than the rod or pencil like Rhizophera and Bruguiera species propagules. The…
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3D printing of biodegradable starch based, non-toxic predation protection devices at UPV
Production of 3D printed devices for testing, 29 October 2026
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Trials focusing on conditioning Rhizophera mucronata and Bruguiera cylindrica propagules prior to propaguling
Conditioning of propagules appears to be a way of increasing the chances of growth once dropped. It is apparent that the propagules transform from…
Get involved
Support this research
If you are a researcher, institution, or organisation interested in collaboration, coastal restoration, or community capacity-building, we would like to hear from you.