By Herp News
No piece of conservation hardware has received more attention in the media than drones, a.k.a. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), yet there is disagreement about their applicability to various conservation applications. The use of drones for enhancing anti-poaching is perhaps the most controversial application, with little empirical data to back some of the media claims and hopeful speculation.To provide some background and to help demystify the potential of drones to help monitor, study, and conserve wildlife and habitats, wildtech.mongabay.com has invited a recognized expert in the field, Dr. Nir Tenenbaum, the Director of
Group photo of drones at a Naval Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Air Demo. Photo credit: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel J. McLain
Part 1 History, Theory, and PracticeIntroductionJust a decade ago, drones—technically known as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)—were mysterious devices used by military forces to conduct covert aerial intelligence and surveillance missions formerly limited to manned aircraft. In the military, drones have served and continue to function as expandable devices, known in the industry as “platforms”, for undesirable missions denoted as “the dull, the dirty and the dangerous”. However, until recently, drones rarely made it to the mainstream news or sparked widespread public interest and concern.Several trends have converged in recent years to introduce UAS to a wider range of civilian users. Chief among these changes was awareness. Since the 1970s, there has been a steady increase in the number of UAS-related publications. Recent partial success of UAVs in anti-terrorism missions has brought them even more into the public eye.At the same time, the increased availability of information on the Internet gave people everywhere the ability to learn about, discuss, and access technology that was until recently deemed “for professionals only”. The same time period has seen increased availability of hardware and software, with easier access to open-source, low-cost materials and components.With the proliferation of open-source autopilots and the dropping prices for sensors, many companies have jumped to incorporate UAS’s into their business. These range from delivery of goods by big players such as Google and Amazon.com, to security services, surveyors, inspectors, farmers, photographers and film makers. In just the last few years, UAS have begun to pop up in conservation activities.UAS’s in nature conservationThe dramatic increase in forest destruction and wildlife poaching has encouraged wildlife scientists and conservationists to explore the potential for using drones in surveillance and anti-poaching activities. For many years, the conservation world has lagged behind other sectors technologically – devoting tight budgets to immediate needs like putting boots and vehicles on the ground left no funding to explore and introduce advanced tools to improve wildlife management.
UAS footage of elephants on the move in Tanzania. UAS’s are increasingly used for conservation applications – their use for anti-poaching is one the most ardently debated. Photo credit: Randy Jay Braun
Optimism about the potential of a commercial/civilian UAS market attracted many new …read more
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In a country like India, where you can’t keep reptiles as pets, it is very rare for a snake lover like me to see an albino snake or else you really need a ‘strong luck’. As I said strong luck, I still can’t believe I was so lucky for a while when I saw this beautiful snake.
