Role Of Drones In Environmental Monitoring & Conservation

There are many threats to the health of our planet today. Climate change, deforestation, and plastic pollution are all taking their toll on the environment. The first step to dealing with these dangers is understanding the scope of the problem. But in some cases, this itself can pose a challenge.

For example, suppose you’re a scientist studying the effects of global warming on sea ice. To do this, you need to observe glaciers and see how much water they’re losing. But how? Should you trek across the Arctic on foot taking samples from areas hundreds of miles apart? Drive through these fragile ecosystems in a vehicle? Or fly overhead taking readings from an airplane, burning fossil fuels that will make warming worse?

Drones offer a modern solution to this dilemma. These small flying machines can cover vast distances gathering data about the health of air, water, and soil.

Drones in environmental monitoring: An overview

Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, are remote-controlled flying machines with no pilot on board. Adding cameras, thermometers, and other sensors to a drone allows it to capture images and readings of the landscape below. Drones have a wide variety of uses, from package delivery to precision agriculture.

There are many ways to use drones to observe and protect the environment. Camera-equipped drones can monitor wildlife populations and track the migration patterns of birds. They can locate endangered animals, detect the presence of invasive plants, and keep an eye on forest fires. By comparing drone images taken over time, scientists can track patterns of erosion, plant growth, or deforestation. They can also find evidence of poaching (illegally hunting threatened animals) or illegal mining in protected areas. Along with cameras, drones can carry sensors that allow them to monitor levels of pollution, pollen, noise, or smoke.

Using drones for environmental monitoring offers many advantages, such as:

• Better access. Drones can reach many areas that are difficult or impossible to reach overland. They can easily cross rugged terrain and fit into tight spaces. The bird’s-eye view they provide can often reveal patterns that aren’t detectable from ground level. And they can get close enough to a subject to capture more detailed, high-resolution images than traditional aerial photography.
• Efficiency. Drones can gather more data in less time than land-based methods, especially in areas that are hard to reach. It’s possible to deploy swarms of them at once to cover large areas. Individual drones can share information with each other and respond to a situation in real time. For example, they can catch poachers in the act.
• Cost. Deploying drones is significantly cheaper than flying over an area in planes or helicopters. And a single drone can cover as much area as multiple ground-based teams, saving money on personnel and equipment.
• Safety. Drones can observe sensitive ecosystems from a distance without disturbing them. That’s safer both for the wildlife and for scientists. They don’t have to put themselves at risk by getting too close to wild animals.

Because of these advantages, drones are playing a growing role in various environmental sectors, such as:

Biodiversity and wildlife conservation

One important use of drones is monitoring wildlife populations and habitats. UAVs equipped with high-resolution cameras can shoot images and videos from many angles. They can conduct aerial surveys, counting animals and observing behavior without getting too close. Drones can also aid in mapping out regions through lidar, or pulses of light from lasers. Their detailed, three-dimensional maps can help scientists determine which habitats can support wildlife.

Drones have been deployed to observe many types of wildlife around the world. The Nature Conservancy has used drones to track bison in Colorado. Researchers at Tufts University have used them to observe endangered elephants in Africa. A 2016 study in Nature showed that UAVs could count nesting Australian seabirds more accurately than traditional ground-based methods.

Forest and land management

Drones can observe plants as well as animals, particularly in forests. Using technology like infrared cameras, they can help scientists identify healthy and sick trees. Also, overhead photos taken from UAVs can highlight patterns of deforestation. They show where trees have been lost and where they’re coming back due to forest restoration efforts. Drones can even help with reforestation directly by scattering tree seeds from overhead.

Drones can also assist with prescribed burns. This is a forest management technique that involves using fire to remove dead and diseased trees. Drone footage can monitor these fires to make sure they stay under control. Once the fire is out, they can take pictures to show how much the landscape has changed.

Water resource monitoring

Drones aren’t only useful on land. Scientists also use them to monitor the health of water bodies, including rivers, lakes, and oceans. UAVs with thermal imaging cameras can pinpoint where water is flowing by identifying variations in temperature. Out at sea, they can help scientists track weather systems, monitor levels of marine life, and map the ocean floor. Drones can also collect water samples and assess the water’s acidity, oxygen levels, and amounts of various pollutants.

Specific uses of drones for water resource monitoring include:

• Monitoring the health of intertidal reefs.
• Measuring the amount of tree cover in mangrove swamps.
• Tracking fish stocks in the Bering Sea.
• Using boat-mounted drones to test and improve water quality in Ukraine.
• Mapping sea ice to help save polar bears.

Climate change and disaster response

Scientists can use drones in a variety of ways to aid in climate change research. In the Arctic, they’ve used UAVs equipped with trace gas analyzers to measure emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Drones can also be useful for monitoring the thickness of ice caps. It’s hard for space-based systems to measure ice thickness because they can’t distinguish ice from snow. Drones equipped with a special “snow radar” tool can measure the thickness of snow cover directly.

Drones can also help assess the risks posed by climate change. UAVs equipped with lidar can be used to estimate carbon stocks (the amount of carbon stored in an ecosystem). They can also help scientists estimate flooding risk. And snow-measuring drones are helping scientists at NASA determine how much melting sea ice raises sea level.

When climate-related disasters can’t be prevented, drones can help society respond to them. For example, they can test the air for smoke in areas at risk of wildfire, helping fire departments catch fires earlier. They can even help fight fires directly by dumping water and fire retardants on them. In the wake of a disaster, UAVs can aid with search and rescue. Artificial intelligence (AI) can scan drone footage of the area for patterns of movement that show where survivors might be. Drones can also be equipped with thermal sensors to identify survivors directly.

Challenges and ethical considerations

Drones have their challenges. They have to be carefully managed to keep them at the right altitude. Flown too high up, they won’t capture the best-quality images. Too low, they could suffer damage or cause damage to plant life. UAVs can also be difficult to steer through dense forests. And they require special protection to prevent moisture damage when used in aquatic settings.

However, the most significant problems with drone use are ethical ones. Concerns include:

• Disturbances to wildlife. Most of the time, drones cause less disruption to sensitive ecosystems than researchers in land-based vehicles. However, the noise they make can disturb or interfere with wildlife.
• Disruption to nearby communities. Besides being noisy and visually obtrusive, camera-equipped drones can intrude on people’s privacy. People know it’s possible a drone could be taking photos or videos of them without their consent. This may lead them to avoid areas they used to think of as private refuges.
• Human rights violations. While privacy violations may be accidental, there are also cases of drones being used for outright harassment or stalking. Repressive governments sometimes use drones intended for conservation purposes to spy on their citizens. For instance, in India, the forestry department has reportedly abused its drone program to spy on and harass forest-dwelling communities.

Drone operators can minimize these harms by observing basic ethical guidelines. These include asking permission before using drones on private land and not venturing into areas where privacy is expected. Another rule is being familiar with local wildlife and knowing how to maintain a safe distance from it.

Along with these general rules, drone operators need to know and follow local laws governing drone use. In the U.S., for instance, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires all drones to be registered. They must stay outside of restricted areas, and they can’t fly more than 400 feet from ground level. Some states have additional rules governing where and how drones can be used.

Technological advancements

Modern drones have a wide variety of features that are useful for environmental monitoring. Unlike the earliest models, they have multi-axis gimbals (pivoted supports) for stabilization. They’re made from lighter, stronger materials, and their batteries last longer. These features allow UAVs to cover more ground and carry more equipment—and that equipment can be pretty sophisticated. Drones can use high-definition photo and video cameras and GPS systems. They can carry a wide variety of sensors to detect temperature, noise, and levels of various chemicals. Most modern drones have an autopilot feature, and some have multiple intelligent piloting modes.

There are even bigger improvements to drone technology on the horizon, particularly related to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These features allow UAVs to analyze data in real time and make decisions based on it. New “smart” drones can navigate better on their own and keep track of their surroundings. One highly advanced smart drone developed at MIT uses a sophisticated AI called a liquid neural network. This enables it to navigate complex environments and react to sound and visual input.

Drone cameras and sensors are also getting smarter all the time. The drones of the future will be able to collect all kinds of data, including audio, video, ultraviolet, and thermal images. And they’ll be able to store and analyze this data, so to speak, on the fly.

How individuals can contribute

Want to be part of the drone revolution in environmental monitoring? You can get involved by acquiring a UAV and becoming a certified drone operator. The first step is to obtain a tracking number from the FAA. After that, you need to pass a test covering topics like drone operation, regulations, and emergency procedures. There are courses available online to help you prepare for the exam. Then you can fill out an application for a remote pilot license. After the FAA completes a background check on you, you’ll receive your license by mail.

Once you have your drone credentials, start looking into citizen science initiatives. These are projects that recruit the general public to aid in scientific research. They can involve anything from observing humpback whales to locating invasive plants. You can find projects seeking volunteers at CitizenScience.gov and CitizenScienceGIS.

Even if you’re not a drone pilot, you can play a part in their environmental work. One way is to join a citizen science project to analyze data gathered by UAVs. For instance, when you play the game NemoNet, you’re helping scientists classify coral reefs based on drone images. You can also help by donating to conservation organizations that work with drones, such as the Nature Conservancy.

The potential of drones in protecting the environment

Drones are a crucial tool for environmental monitoring. They can explore remote areas and gather data quickly and cheaply, all with minimal disruption to delicate ecosystems. They’re useful for tracking wildlife populations and monitoring the health of forests and waterways. They can also measure damage caused by climate change and aid in disaster response.

In future, drones may play an even bigger role in this work. Lighter materials, better batteries, more advanced sensors, and AI integration will make them more useful tools than ever. It will require care to use them in ways that don’t harm wildlife or human communities. But with suitable guidelines for ethical use, the benefits of UAV use far outweigh the costs. The more effectively drones can monitor the environment, the more we’ll learn about how to protect it for future generations.