A mention of drones most likely brings to mind military operations or, more recently, their potential future as delivery carriers for companies like Amazon.
But drones have also been embraced by wildlife biologists and ecologists. The unmanned aerial vehicles allow researchers to collect data that would otherwise be too time-consuming, dangerous, or expensive to tackle on foot.
In Belize, drones are being used to help protect the nation’s coral reefs. Reefs face a major threat from illegal overfishing. But patrolling vast expanses of ocean is a costly proposition. To that end, the Wildlife Conservation Society has trained operators from the Belize Fisheries Department to use drones to help monitor illegal fishing.
The Belize project was outfitted by a small non-profit called ConservationDrones.org, which promotes the use of drones for conservation purposes. Its work began about two years ago, when the organization’s founder began monitoring orangutan habitats in Sumatra using a camera attached to a remote-controlled plane.
Since then, the group has built about one hundred specially-designed drones, which are being used to collect data for conservation efforts all over the world, from mapping rainforest coverage in Indonesia to monitoring caribou in Greenland.
These efforts highlight the importance of adapting emerging technology for conservation applications. Drones are poised to play a role in keeping an eye on sensitive ecosystems worldwide.
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Photo, posted September 11, 2013, courtesy of Bob Peters via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, with script contribution from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.