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Ecologists Are Using Drones to Track Endangered Wildlife

I'd be the first to admit that we at Motherboard are skeptical about drones -- as well as argue that it's not without good reason -- but when you get past the drone war and the "surveillance state":http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/5/14/the-accidental...

I’d be the first to admit that we at Motherboard are skeptical about drones — as well as argue that it’s not without good reason — but when you get past the drone war and the surveillance state, the drones themselves are pretty damn cool. And cheap, camera-equipped mini-planes do offer plenty of potential for good, like, say, conservation. Wait, what?

Yes, the era of drone ecology is just unfolding. Earlier this year, as a number of exceedingly rare Sumatran orangutans were killed massive Indonesian fires set by palm oil growers, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme tested out drones to survey habitat destruction.

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It’s no secret that raising funds for conservation efforts isn’t easy. But drones are relatively cheap, especially for survey tasks, which could help conservationists do more work on the same budget.

From the Guardian:

‘’Counting orangutan nests is the main way of surveying orangutan populations,’’ said Graham Usher of the Sumatran project, which captured one of the apes atop a palm tree feeding on palm heart in a sharp photograph. From higher altitudes the drones, he said, also provide high-resolution, real-time images showing where forests are being cleared and set ablaze. By contrast, ground expeditions are time-consuming, logistically cumbersome, and expensive. A conventional orangutan census in Sumatra, which may also involve helicopters and aircraft, costs some $250,000 (£159,000). Surveying land use by satellite is likewise costly and hampered by frequent cloud cover over tropical areas. On the other hand, drones can’t fly for as long as manned craft, and it’s harder to shoot good photos and videos without a human directly controlling the camera. But, again, drones are cheap.

Now, if any of this sounds kinda familiar, it’s because you’re thinking of “Fly Away Home.” But Jeff Daniels aside, flying around in ultralights and small planes to conduct ecological surveys — like Mike Fay’s epic (yes, epic) Megaflyover project — is costly, tedious, and potentially dangerous. So, yeah, drone strikes and giant robo-blimps sting the nostrils a bit. But ecodrones saving cash for ecologists on the ground? That’s something I can get behind.

Image via Associated Press

Follow Derek Mead on Twitter: @derektmead.