New AI survivability solution and peer-reviewed study redefine transparency and performance in blue carbon restoration

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VANCOUVER — August 26, 2025 — veritree, the platform powering verified nature restoration, today announced two major advancements to address the toughest barriers to scaling mangrove restoration, one of Earth’s most important ecosystems: monitoring early-stage survivability and accurately measuring long-term carbon impact.

The newly launched AI survivability solution analyzes field imagery of mangroves in the first three years of planting: the most critical timeframe for survivability. Alongside it, a peer-reviewed study co-authored by veritree, the University of Alberta, and the EarthLungs Reforestation Foundation, introduces a blue carbon model for highly accurate carbon biomass measurement. Together, these tools form a crucial part of veritree’s science-backed monitoring protocol, combining drone surveys, field measurements, and mobile-enabled data collection to deliver high-quality, verifiable data across the mangrove restoration lifecycle.

These advancements are the result of veritree’s sustained investment in science and technology R&D as well as collaboration with universities and planting partners. Both features are now built into the core veritree platform, amplifying restoration outcomes worldwide.

Mangroves are among Earth’s most important ecosystems, storing up to three times more carbon than inland tropical forests and delivering an estimated US$855 billion annually in coastal protection services. Yet their dense canopy makes them difficult to monitor via satellite imagery, and restoration success largely hinges on what happens in the first 1–3 years, a window where conventional monitoring often falls short.

veritree is addressing these challenges with the first-known restoration platform to deploy AI specifically for mangrove survivability classification. While other nature-tech tools have used computer vision for species mapping, veritree’s model handles a far more critical challenge for restoration: determining whether each tree is alive, dormant, or dead. Integrated into veritee’s mobile Collect App, the model directs field teams to randomized monitoring points, classifies each tree’s status, and will continue to improve with the addition of new data, including satellite imagery.

Carbon storage is the other half of the restoration equation. veritree’s integrated blue carbon model, validated in the journal Ecological Indicators, combines high-resolution drone imagery with field measurements to calculate carbon at the individual tree level. In trials near Mombasa, Kenya, the team flew a lightweight drone over 759 juvenile mangrove trees and, using an ensemble machine-learning model, predicted each tree’s carbon within ≈ 2 kg. This level of precision, made possible through the groundwork laid by the EarthLungs team, proves that tree-level blue carbon accounting can be achieved with in-house models in a single flight, making high-resolution verification both scalable and cost-effective.

Together, these features form a closed-loop system for mangrove restoration, detecting early survival trends, measuring ecosystem-scale carbon gains, and refining models to accelerate impact globally.

“By uniting AI survivability classification with advanced carbon biomass measurement, we’re equipping restoration teams to overcome challenges that have held back mangrove recovery for decades,” said Derrick Emsley, CEO and co-founder of veritree. “Our ability to collect, verify, and manage data is unique, and is the foundation for creating better outcomes for the future of mangrove restoration.”

veritree’s system is designed to work hand-in-hand with restoration practitioners. In Kenya, a three-year partnership with the EarthLungs Reforestation Foundation, part of this research, has embedded veritree’s verification processes into every stage of restoration, from project design and planting to ongoing monitoring and carbon measurement.

“This research proves that high-resolution, tree-level carbon data, once thought impossible, is within reach for grassroots restoration teams,” said Victor Mwanga, Founder & CEO of EarthLungs Reforestation. “By combining drone-based surveys with local knowledge and field plots, we showed that even in challenging environments like coastal Kenya, it’s possible to achieve scientific precision without prohibitive cost. That’s a game-changer not just for our projects, but for community-led restoration everywhere.”

“This is what verified restoration must look like,” said Kathleen Buckingham, PhD, Head of Science & Research at veritree. “We’re not just deploying advanced tools, we’re building deep partnerships with restoration teams on the ground. That close collaboration allows us to move beyond satellite-based estimates and deliver a more accurate, dynamic picture of change over time.”

“Planting a seedling is just the starting line,” said Derrick Emsley, CEO of veritree. “Our AI survivability model manages restoration with precision, and our mangrove carbon modelling tool tracks biodiversity, socio-economic benefits, and carbon impact in detail. Better data builds better models, better models deliver better projects, and better projects provide verifiable proof that nature-based solutions can deliver measurable, lasting climate value.”

As pilots expand, veritree plans to continue validating the model across diverse geographies in Brazil and Asia and species, advancing scalable, credible restoration around the world.

Since 2023, veritree has reached 100 million trees pledged. Today, veritree is helping nearly 300 companies embed verified restoration into their business models. For more information about veritree’s recent restoration impacts, please visit: https://www.veritree.com/about-us/impact

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About veritree

veritree is a platform powering the global restorative economy. Its platform brings trust, traceability, and impact to nature-based solutions. Having reached 100 million trees pledged, it connects forward-thinking companies with verified action. From mangroves and kelp to wildfire reforestation, veritree helps organizations move from intention to measurable environmental and social outcomes. Learn more at veritree.com

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Media contact

veritree@yulupr.com

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