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Climate tech is helping Abu Dhabi grow its blue-carbon forests

Using the latest developments in drone technology, Distant Imagery is expanding mangrove cover in Abu Dhabi and inspiring the next generation to protect them.

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Go beyond Abu Dhabi’s city lights and a different world comes into view.

Here, vast ocean vistas give way to protected coastlines where science-led restoration programs are expanding the landscape, one mangrove at a time.

Nowhere is this more evident than at ecological landmarks like Al Nouf and Hameem, within the Bul Syayeef Protected Area, a Ramsar site that forms part of the Sheikh Zayed Protected Areas Network and is managed by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD). In these areas, carefully permitted afforestation activities are adding to the mangrove habitats that help define the UAE’s natural heritage.

It’s within this framework that Distant Imagery works with clients as a technical partner in support of the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative (ADMI). Through capacity-building training, it helps support science-based coastal restoration and the UAE’s strategy.

"We’re a climate-tech company that’s trying to democratize technology and plant a lot of mangroves," says co-founder Jane Glavan. "We really wanted to have nature-first principles in the way that we design our tech."

Engineering a living coastline

Founded in 2019, Distant Imagery designs custom drones to support blue carbon restoration, with a core focus on mangrove afforestation.

Using precision seeding and aerial monitoring, the team helps identify suitable sites, accelerate natural regeneration where conditions allow, and track outcomes so that carbon-absorbing habitats can thrive alongside existing ecosystems. 

What began as a single 360-degree camera quickly snowballed into a full suite of restoration tools. “Clients would ask, ‘Can you do this?’ and we’d figure it out,”, says co-founder Cory Rhodes. “We started building drones, seeding units, and software for health assessments and mapping.” Since then, the company’s proprietary systems have planted more than nine million mangrove seeds, evidence that restoration at scale can be faster and more precise.

Made in Abu Dhabi, built for the world

Distant Imagery’s growth reflects positive trends for climate-tech startups in Abu Dhabi. The emirate’s innovation platforms, including Hub71 and Masdar City, offer founder-friendly visas, fast-track licensing, access to investors and accelerators, and opportunities to pilot ideas with local partners. "It's incredible that there's always somebody for us to turn to and guide us," explains Glavan.

"It’s really easy to get a trade license here, and it can be easy to get big clients," Rhodes says. "Abu Dhabi is a great place for trying new things. We’d say, ‘We think this will work,’ and people would reply, ‘All right, let’s try it.’"

That open mindset is matched by practical support: fast-track licensing and founder-friendly visas, pilot access with partners like EAD, and a broad network of investors and accelerators. This well-established ecosystem, committed to nature-focused innovation, represents a side of Abu Dhabi that Rhodes believes is often overlooked. “People think the UAE is malls and hotels,” he says. “But there’s so much nature, mangrove forests, coastline, mountains, wadis. Get 30 to 45 minutes outside the city and it changes how you see the place.”

Creating a movement

For Distant Imagery, success depends heavily on education. Every field day doubles as an opportunity to work with and inspire young people. In one program, they partner with the Overlord Academy, a UAE adventure cadet club, to introduce cadets to mapping, flight planning, assembly, and planting, building hands-on skills that demystify climate tech and open up future study and career paths.

“We brought students to Al Nouf to learn about mangroves and to use drones to map, assess, and plant,” Rhodes says. “They even assembled a frame and learned the components. Some get excited about the tech, some about the mud, both are great.”

"It is such a beautiful thing being able to cultivate a community in Abu Dhabi," explains Glavan. Distant Imagery trains local teams to operate, maintain, and adapt the tools themselves. 

"A lot of people assume drones replace jobs," Rhodes says. "It couldn’t be further from the truth, drones create new opportunities."

Distant Imagery is one part of a broader ecosystem working under EAD and ADMI guidance to grow resilient blue-carbon habitats. Together, these efforts complement Abu Dhabi’s science-based restoration agenda and the UAE’s wider climate ambitions. But the work doesn’t stop at the shoreline. It grows with every seed, toward a future where innovation and ecology thrive side by side.

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