How a seed-planting robot may help conserve the Amazon rainforest

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Could this seed-planting robot be key to saving the Amazon rainforest?

Known as YuMi and created by ABB robotics, it can sow about 600 seeds in a morning's work - the equivalent of two football fields in a day.

Conservationists say it could be a potential game changer in efforts to preserve the world's largest rainforest in the face of illegal mining and logging.

"As of right now, we have lost 20% of the total land in the Amazon rainforest."

Mohsin Kazmi is the CEO of the non-profit organization Junglekeepers, which is part of a pilot project in Peru trialing the use of the robot.

"We're truly just protecting the thousands, if not millions, of heartbeats that exist in this mega-biodiverse ecosystem."

Junglekeepers took three days to transport the robot up the Las Piedras River to their base deep in the jungle in southeastern Peru.

Once in place, the robot can work all day, carefully picking up seeds and using a trowel to move the soil.

It's powered by solar panels and connected to solar satellite wifi for remote updates from an ABB base in Sweden.

"This robot is incredibly agile and it's able to plant all of our seeds for our nursery, freeing up our rangers to do other tasks involving the reforestation project itself [WHITE FLASH] The robot is able to remove soil and plant seeds all in one box, 16 at a time. And then we take that box and put it into our nursery for it to germinate."

Junglekeepers is looking into setting up larger-scale robot planting facilities in local communities, which would potentially allow thousands of seeds to be planted daily.

But they face an uphill struggle in their efforts.. here's why.

Last year alone, about three football fields’ worth of virgin forest, was cleared every minute, according to government data from Brazil.

The deforestation is largely fueled by illegal gold mining and logging, as well as forest clearance to plant coca crops - the raw ingredient for cocaine.

"Loggers, so many loggers every day. You can't imagine how many trees go for logging every day."

Junglekeepers' vice-president, Juan Julio Durand Torres, is all too familiar with the issue.

He used to be an illegal miner and logger himself and says it's important to use new technology, like the robot, and engage with the local community.

"They have advanced technology. They can destroy so much. So if we have a robot here to help plant trees and local people be involved and learning technology, it'll be like pretty much battling together. And I think this is a good aim for us."

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Could just pay poor people to plant those, much cheaper.

T

Thats a great idea! Does that robot comes from a country that have almost no original forests, like Germany, Canada or U.S. (what is a good learning point!), or it is made in Brazil, where 61% of vegetation is still native as in 1500 a.C.? Or does it come from a country with less than 1.29% share of world CO2 emissions as Brazil (while being 2, 6875% of world population) does? That`s nice!

ricasan