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Emiliano Martínez Viademonte

A tiny but destructive invader is threatening South America, and Uruguay’s iconic palm trees are on the front line.
Since 2022, the National Emergency System in coordination with agricultural agencies and with operational support from the air force, has struggled to contain the red palm weevil outbreak, prompting them to call scientists to help.
Experts from the Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC) stepped in with an innovative detection strategy using drones and aerial imaging, but recognising the limits of domestic resources, they turned to a distant ally: China.
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is a small reddish beetle whose larvae emerge from eggs and feed on the soft tissues of the palm tree, digging tunnels to the parenchymal cells and causing severe damage. Brown leaves on the canopy can indicate the presence of the insects – and signal that the tree is close to death.
The pest is jeopardising the country’s native trees, which are a symbol of several places in Uruguay such as Montevideo’s iconic waterfront where they feature prominently along the Río de la Plata promenade.
Natalie Aubet, a senior professor of geology at UTEC who specialises in spatial research, said scientists were asked to develop an early detection strategy to combat the red palm weevil, which has been devastating eight jurisdictions across the country.
The Spatial Research Group, of which she is a member, has been working on the project since the middle of last year, achieving significant results in a short time. However, it became clear that backup was needed to fully tackle the problem.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment and the government chancellery began exchanges, particularly with China,” Aubet said.


“At one of the meetings, we were connected with Beijing Forestry University (BJFU). We shared advances and discussed the topic, trying to consolidate a team who can work on these things.”
Uruguay’s palm trees have been suffering dearly from the Asian insect since 2022 when it migrated for unknown reasons and found favourable conditions to establish itself, with a lack of natural predators in its new habitat.
Other South American countries such as Brazil and Argentina are also on alert for the insect.
Backed by previous collaborations and new diplomatic overtures, Uruguay forged a scientific partnership with BJFU and Chinese space technology institutes to deploy high-resolution satellite imagery, remote sensing tools and AI-driven detection algorithms to map and halt the beetle’s advance.
“In 2022, we began collaboration through a donation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China which consisted of a satellite system with the capacity to monitor national territory, which allows us to process different indices and obtain information,” Aubet said.
“We don’t have our own satellite imagery so we require external support.”
The work has been carried out with Space Star Technology, part of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and the China Academy of Space Technology.
The scientific team has made advances in the research for pest detection but they are seeking international cooperation to cover Uruguay’s entire territory.

“We start working with different techniques ranging from drones to aerial imagery to detect the status of the palm trees [and] a phenological study, to be able to map the spread and impact of the insect, with the aim of scaling up to satellite imagery,” Aubet said.
“This is an important tool for phytosanitary control to plan where trees should be felled and take action on the issue.”
BJFU offers extensive experience in satellites and high-resolution remote sensors, which can detect the pest from cameras and other devices. So far, UTEC had been working with drone images from a DJI Chinese model.
“We are working with it and different images, analysing their products and training an algorithm – that we designed – to detect the pest,” Aubet said. “We are looking to adapt cameras to aircraft to have more cover and then satellite images.
“China could provide these images so we could work with better resolution. We are looking to develop tools which allow us to map the impact of the red palm weevil on Uruguay’s palm groves, with a view to developing new algorithms, technologies for other types of pests.”
In October, technical staff from the university travelled to China for spatial research and began working on a memorandum of understanding to tackle the pest infection. Weeks later, university vice-chancellor Valeria Larnaudie, among others, continued meetings with BJFU.
From this, the idea emerged of a Joint Laboratory on Pest Control which is still in its early stages. Uruguay’s Clemente Estable Institute of Biological Research was made part of the project under another agreement with China for phytosanitary purposes.
In early December last year, a delegation of China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) visited Uruguay and reinforced the collaboration between both countries on diverse issues.
Aubet said the work being carried out could serve as a model for early detection of this pest and others, mainly in South America. However, more technology and resources, such as satellites, were needed to stay ahead of the insect’s spread, she added.


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How can China help Uruguay battle beetles threatening to invade South America?

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China

A small reddish insect is on the march and Chinese space technology could halt the pest’s path of destruction


A small reddish insect is on the march and Chinese space technology could halt the pest’s path of destruction.


Uruguay

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

How can China help Uruguay battle beetles threatening to invade South America?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A small reddish insect is on the march and Chinese space technology could halt the pest’s path of destruction

A small reddish insect is on the march and Chinese space technology could halt the pest’s path of destruction