ADNOC has planted its five millionth mangrove seedling as part of its ambitious 10 million target by 2030, leveraging locally developed AI drone technology and community participation to restore UAE’s coastal ecosystems and support national biodiversity goals.
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who serves as the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and is also the managing director and group CEO of ADNOC, recently planted what ADNOC calls its five millionth mangrove seedling. This took place during a visit to the Al Nouf mangrove forest in Abu Dhabi, marking a significant milestone. According to the company, this achievement puts them past the halfway point of their pledge to plant 10 million mangroves by 2030.
As per ADNOC’s press release, this planting effort fits into a broader goal of supporting the UAE’s national aim to establish a total of 100 million mangroves by 2030. They also aim to create “long-term value and positive impact for the nation.” The company explained that its mangrove programme, which they launched in 2023, employs AI-enabled drone technology that was developed locally in the UAE. This combines aerial seeding with machine-learning tools for monitoring, tracking the health, growth, and restoration success over time.
“Environmental stewardship is at the heart of ADNOC’s overall strategy,” Dr. Al Jaber mentioned in his statement. “It underpins our commitment to creating long-term, sustainable value for the UAE and the communities in which we operate.” He added that they’ve made solid progress towards their 10 million target by leveraging advanced tech to support biodiversity and responsibly provide energy, energy that’s essential for people and economies to thrive.
This announcement isn’t the first time ADNOC has shared details about its drone seeding efforts. They previously signed a deal with Distant Imagery, a UAE firm specializing in environmental tech, to scale up planting using drones capable of dispersing over 2,000 mangrove seeds in about eight minutes. The company highlighted this method during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Their 2024 sustainability report points out that, since 2023, they’ve planted more than 2.8 million mangroves and distributed over 7 million seeds through aerial drone dispersal. The report also mentioned that roughly 300,000 seedlings were planted in 2024 alone, and efforts from 2023 were replenished to support continued growth.
What’s interesting, well, at least to me, is how quickly their figures are scaling up. ADNOC presented the five million figure as the current cumulative total, with the previous year’s figure detailed in their 2024 report. Media outlets like The National have noted that the company’s 2026 announcement reflects an accelerated pace, especially thanks to its drone approach and greater volunteer involvement.
Community participation seems to be a big part of ADNOC’s approach. They stated over 1,000 volunteers helped with planting activities just in 2025. Since the initiative kicked off, around 6,000 people, ranging from students and community groups to people of determination and ADNOC staff, have contributed to mangrove planting, coastal cleanups, and biodiversity restoration efforts in Abu Dhabi. Plus, ADNOC partnered with the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative in 2024, an effort led by the Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi, to coordinate restoration, promote research, and encourage private sector and community involvement.
ADNOC also ties this mangrove work into national and global initiatives. They said their programme connects with the UAE’s “Plant the Emirates” campaign and aligns with the World Economic Forum’s One Trillion Trees initiative. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has acknowledged ADNOC’s role in supporting mangrove planting efforts, based on their sustainability disclosures.
The use of AI-powered drone technology is emphasized because it allows large-scale planting in tough coastal conditions and makes monitoring survival rates more efficient than manual planting alone. ADNOC’s 2024 report details how machine-learning analysis and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) techniques are being used to assess how well the mangroves are developing over time, including canopy growth and overall ecosystem health. It’s a strategy that aims to combine cost-effective aerial seeding with ground follow-up and community stewardship.
Environmental advocates and coastal scientists increasingly highlight the multifunctional benefits of mangroves. They can stabilize shorelines, reduce erosion, sequester carbon, and serve as nursery habitats for fish and other species. ADNOC stresses these ecosystem services as a natural solution that contributes to climate adaptation and biodiversity preservation, while still maintaining their energy supply operations.
Throughout their communications, ADNOC frames this planting initiative as part of their broader sustainability story, emphasizing their role as a “responsible” provider of lower-carbon energy. They describe the project as a key element of long-term ecosystem restoration and environmental stewardship.
However, counting and verifying these results is crucial for credibility. Moving from the 2.8 million figure in their 2024 report to the current five million highlights how quickly they’re scaling up. It will be important to see independent monitoring and long-term data, like survival rates and ecosystem recovery metrics, to determine whether aerial seed dispersal actually results in sustainable, functioning mangrove ecosystems that truly provide the promised biodiversity benefits and coastal protection.
Finally, ADNOC says it’s now over halfway toward its 10 million target, and it plans to keep using drone technology, machine learning, and volunteers to reach their 2030 goal. They position this effort as part of a national push to expand mangrove cover and enhance biodiversity across the UAE.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://blog.abudhabicityguide.com/dr-sultan-al-jaber-plants-adnocs-5-millionth-mangrove-marking-major-biodiversity-milestone/ – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.adnoc.ae/en/news-and-media/press-releases/2026/dr-sultan-al-jaber-plants-adnocs-5-millionth-mangrove-marking-major-biodiversity-milestone – His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, has planted ADNOC’s five millionth mangrove seedling during a visit to the Al Nouf mangrove forest in Abu Dhabi, marking a milestone in ADNOC’s ambition to plant 10 million mangroves by 2030. ADNOC has now surpassed the halfway mark towards this goal, advancing its drive to protect biodiversity through scalable, nature-based solutions that support the UAE’s aim to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030 and deliver long-term value and positive impact for the nation. Dr. Al Jaber said: “Environmental stewardship is central to ADNOC’s strategy and underpins our commitment to creating sustainable long-term value for the UAE and the communities in which we operate. We have made excellent progress towards our target to plant 10 million mangroves by 2030 by leveraging advanced technologies to support biodiversity and responsibly provide the energy that people and economies need to thrive.” ADNOC’s mangrove planting program, which began in 2023, uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled drone technology developed in the UAE to plant mangroves efficiently and at scale. The program also integrates advanced monitoring tools, such as machine learning, to track mangrove health, growth and restoration success over time. Community engagement is a core pillar of the mangrove planting initiative. In 2025 alone, more than 1,000 volunteers participated in planting activities, contributing thousands of hours to conservation efforts. Since the program’s launch, around 6,000 people have taken part in mangrove planting, coastal clean-ups and biodiversity restoration initiatives in Abu Dhabi. This includes youth volunteers from schools, community groups, and People of Determination, as well as ADNOC employees, who have actively contributed at every stage of the program. In 2024, ADNOC joined the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, led by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), to accelerate mangrove restoration, drive research and promote private sector and community participation. These efforts align with the UAE’s Plant the Emirates Program and the World Economic Forum’s One Trillion Trees Initiative.
- https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/01/16/dr-sultan-al-jaber-plants-adnocs-five-millionth-mangrove-seedling/ – Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc, has planted the Abu Dhabi oil company’s five millionth mangrove seedling during a visit to Al Nouf mangrove forest. It marks a milestone in Adnoc’s ambition to plant 10 million mangroves by 2030. “Environmental stewardship is central to Adnoc’s strategy and underpins our commitment to creating sustainable long-term value for the UAE and the communities in which we operate,” Dr Al Jaber said.
- https://www.adnoc.ae/en/news-and-media/press-releases/2023/adnoc-uses-innovative-drone-technology-to-plant-mangroves – ADNOC, a reliable and responsible provider of lower-carbon intensity energy, today announced at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) it has signed a contract with Distant Imagery, a UAE-based environmental technology company, to plant 2.5 million mangrove seedlings across Abu Dhabi using innovative drone planting technology adopted by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). The new contract, that comes within the framework of the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative and the existing partnership with EAD, enables ADNOC to accelerate its mangrove planting activities by deploying drones that can disperse over 2,000 mangrove seeds in roughly eight minutes, reinforcing the company’s commitment to plant up to 10 million mangroves in Abu Dhabi by 2030.
- https://reports.adnoc.ae/e/sustainability-report-2024 – Since 2023, ADNOC has planted over 2.8 million mangroves, including more than 300,000 in 2024 alone, using advanced drone technology developed in the UAE. As part of our long-term ecosystem restoration efforts, we also replenished areas planted in 2023 to support their continued growth and help us meet our targeted expansion numbers. These achievements were made possible through drone-based aerial seed dispersal, enabling the distribution of over 7 million mangrove seeds to date. In 2024, ADNOC joined the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, led by EAD, to accelerate mangrove restoration, align local actions, drive research and promote private sector and community participation. ADNOC was also recognized by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) for its contribution to mangrove plantation efforts. ADNOC’s mangrove program integrates advanced monitoring tools, including machine learning and normalized difference vegetation index analysis, to track mangrove health and restoration success. Community engagement remains a core pillar of the initiative.
- https://www.utilities-me.com/news/adnoc-mangroves-milestone – Launched in 2023, ADNOC’s mangrove planting programme uses artificial intelligence-enabled drone technology developed in the UAE to plant seedlings efficiently and at scale. The programme also deploys advanced monitoring tools, including machine learning, to track mangrove health, growth rates and restoration success over time. Community engagement forms a core pillar of the initiative. In 2025 alone, more than 1,000 volunteers participated in planting activities, contributing thousands of hours to conservation efforts. Since the programme began, around 6,000 people have taken part in mangrove planting, coastal clean-ups and biodiversity restoration initiatives across Abu Dhabi, including students, community groups, People of Determination and ADNOC employees. In 2024, ADNOC joined the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative led by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, aimed at accelerating mangrove restoration, advancing research and encouraging greater private sector and community participation. The programme also aligns with national and global initiatives, including the UAE’s Plant the Emirates Programme and the World Economic Forum’s One Trillion Trees Initiative.
- https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2023/01/18/adnoc-to-use-drones-to-plant-25-million-mangrove-seedlings-in-abu-dhabi/ – Adnoc will use drones that can disperse more than 2,000 mangrove seeds in about eight minutes, as the company targets planting up to 10 million mangrove trees in Abu Dhabi by 2030. “Mangroves can provide a living defence against the impact of climate change, by preventing erosion, stabilising Abu Dhabi’s coastlines and enhancing biodiversity, as well as significantly contributing to the quality of life in the area for future generations,” said Ibrahim Al Zu’bi, senior vice president of sustainability and climate at Adnoc.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The article reports on an event that occurred on January 15, 2026, marking ADNOC’s five millionth mangrove planting. This is a recent and original piece of news, with no evidence of prior publication or recycled content.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
The direct quotes attributed to Dr. Sultan Al Jaber are consistent across multiple reputable sources, including ADNOC’s official press release and coverage by The National. No discrepancies or signs of reused content were found.
Source reliability
Score:
10
Notes:
The primary source is ADNOC’s official press release, a major news organisation. The article also references coverage from The National, a reputable news outlet. No concerns regarding source reliability were identified.
Plausability check
Score:
10
Notes:
The claims made in the article align with ADNOC’s previously reported initiatives, such as the use of AI-enabled drone technology for mangrove planting. The reported figures and events are consistent with ADNOC’s stated goals and past activities.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The article provides a recent and original report on ADNOC’s five millionth mangrove planting, supported by consistent and reliable sources. No significant concerns were identified in the fact-checking process.
