Use of drones for landscape-scale surveys to meet conservation organisation needs

Jordan, Matthew

Abstract

Monitoring is an important part of current conservation work but is currently overlooked over other aspects of conservation due to a lack of resources. Drones represent a potential solution to this lack of monitoring and have been shown to be more accurate and time-efficient than current, ground-based methods. With the shift to evidence-based conservation, evaluating site conditions and monitoring the progress of conservation action plans is essential to ensure limited conservation resources are put to best use. However, current ground-based methods vary in their objectivity and resource efficiency, and monitoring as a whole is often deprioritised. Drones represent an alternative method for conservation monitoring, and whilst the current literature shows that drone are overall more accurate than traditional, ground-based studies, the conservation sector has been reluctant to utilise drones. The current literature on drone use in conservation often focuses on drone accuracy, without considering the context and logistical considerations of conservation organisations. This thesis addresses that gap in knowledge by assessing the potential for incorporating drones into UK conservation, a sector that has been slow to incorporate drone-based methods into their operations.
Drones were found to be more efficient and provide more accurate data than existing, ground-based methods in two out of three case studies. However, only one case study, which focused on vegetation surveys to meet site condition assessments, was considered by the Wildlife Trusts for integration. The Wildlife Trusts did not seem overly receptive to the idea of using drones, primarily due to a lack of resources available to invest in new technologies, regardless of what benefits they may bring. This aligns with the main barriers to conservation progress identified in interviews, which were a lack of finances and trained staff, but contrasts with the current research, which focuses primarily on drone technical limitations such as battery life and weather condition dependencies.
These results demonstrate that logistical considerations such as cost, training and bureaucracy are the main factors limiting drone integration into UK conservation groups, with the potential benefits and capabilities of the technology beyond its ability to meet conservation group needs less important to conservation employees.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jan 3, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 28, 2023
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10278856
• Award Date: Jul 28, 2023