Researchers test conservation drones for night flights

From the newsletter

Experts from the University of Southern Denmark are testing drones in Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy to monitor animal movements and study behavior during night flights. Collaborating with biologists and computer vision specialists, they aim to enhance conservation efforts by collecting valuable data on wildlife.

• WildDrone is funded by the EU’s Marie Curie network, which is training 13 PhD candidates in drone technology, conservation ecology, and computer vision.

• WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024 reveals that Africa has experienced a 76% decline in its monitored vertebrate populations from 1970 to 2020.

More details

• The drones are equipped with advanced technologies, such as stereo imaging and thermal cameras. These innovations facilitate detailed data collection without disturbing wildlife, making them superior to traditional monitoring methods. The drones can efficiently detect animal movements, study behaviour, and map areas, particularly during Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights at night.

• "Flying BVLOS at night is crucial because it allows biologists to study wildlife in new, more efficient, and sustainable ways. By mapping animal locations, tracking their movements, and observing their behaviour remotely, we can minimise disturbances while gathering essential data for nature conservation. Many smaller aircraft are not permitted to fly at night, which means there’s more airspace available for drones, making nighttime operations even more efficient," explains Associate Professor Kjeld Jensen.

• Spanning from 2023 to 2026, the project involves interdisciplinary collaboration among European and Kenyan partners, including the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenyatta University, and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. The researchers are testing drones for various conservation tasks, such as tracking animal movements and mapping habitats. They utilise both commercial drones for aerial photography and custom-built drones for experimental purposes. Notably, they have developed a fixed-wing drone with solar panels to enhance flight duration, as well as a Danish-designed drone capable of creating 3D models of rhinos.

• So far, the research team has completed over 200 drone flights over the Kenyan savanna, gathering extensive data on species such as rhinos, elephants, and giraffes. This information will be crucial for future conservation strategies and will contribute to long-term efforts to protect endangered species. The WildDrone project is also raising public awareness, with a Danish Broadcasting Corporation crew set to be featured on Kenyan television. Biologist Lucie Laporte-Devylder and engineer Saadia Afridi are developing low-noise drones to minimise animal disturbance.

• Africa’s biodiversity is under threat, as WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024 reveals significant declines in the average size of wildlife populations across the continent. The report indicates that Africa has experienced a 76% decline in the size of monitored vertebrate populations between 1970 and 2020, primarily due to habitat loss, overexploitation, pollution, and the impacts of climate change. Globally, the decline stands at 73%.

• The report cautions that the continued degradation of Africa’s ecosystems could push the region past critical tipping points if immediate interventions are not made. As ecosystems cross these thresholds, their ability to support both wildlife and human livelihoods becomes compromised, leading to severe consequences for food security, water availability, and climate resilience.

Our take

• Africa is experiencing an unparalleled crisis with the loss of biodiversity, rendering conventional approaches to monitoring and protecting endangered species inadequate.

• For years, ecologists and conservationists have depended on tools such as GPS collars, camera traps, and field studies to observe wildlife. However, these methods are often slow, costly, and invasive.

• Given the growing pressures on ecosystems, there is an urgent requirement for quicker and more scalable solutions to protect species that are at risk.