04/05/2026
One of Portugal's biggest drone seeding operations of ecological restoration was just completed! Here's what happened:
First, we started to learn everything about piloting a drone with +3m of wingspan and weighing more than 100kg with seeds.
And then, over the last few weeks, we've been flying across 200 hectares of degraded mountain terrain in Serra da Lousã, deploying over 2,800kg of seeds with a precision and reach that would have been impossible if sowing by hand. The scale speaks for itself:
Most hectares seeded in 1 day: 15.42ha
Total flight missions: 232
Average Kg of Seeds per Hour: 128Kg
Seeds Deployed: +2800kg
This wasn't about proving drones are cool (they are though!). It was about figuring out whether we can reseed burned slopes at a scale that actually matters, building back soil, creating pasture for wild grazers, pockets of habitat for pollinators. If it works here on our mountain, it works elsewhere!
The most critical work starts now though: monitoring germination, learning from what takes hold and what doesn't, refining our approach, and preparing the next phase.
Nature moves on its own timeline, and we're here to watch, adapt, and grow alongside it.
