Drones as Tools For Wildlife Research
Drones have become an incredibly popular tool for wildlife biologists. The most popular reasons for the increased use is that drones can collect huge amounts of data across a great spatial extent, all while doing so in a relatively non-invasive matter. For these reasons, drone technology is extremely attractive to researchers working in remote regions such as the Arctic and sub-Arctic. My research using drones has been primarily to study various aspects of the Cape Churchill Peninsula ecosystem in Wapusk National Park (Manitoba), with an emphasis on the impact of drone surveys on wildlife behaviour.
Wildlife Behavioural Responses to Drone Surveys
|
One of our first questions in using drones for wildlife research was to understand how drone surveys may impact animal behaviour. We examined reactions of lesser snow geese and polar bears to drone surveys by reviewing recorded video of animals during drone flights. While we found some reactions to drone flights, overall we determined that at high altitudes our drone evoked little behavioural response. Currently our lab is working on similar analyses for nesting eider ducks.
|
Image from a video camera placed on a snow goose nest to observe the females behaviour during drone surveys
|
Mapping Habitat Degradation by Lesser Snow Geese
RGB Drone imagery of habitat degradation at 75m above ground. Note surrounding light gray regions: this is dried out, hypersaline ground cause by a lack vegetation cover.
|
The mid-continent snow goose population has increased dramatically over the past 40 years, leading to increased pressure on vegetation communities. Mapping degradation on foot is laborious, time consuming, and especially difficult in remote regions where snow geese spend their summers. Drones may be able to help by collect data over a greater spatial extent than is currently possible on the ground. Perhaps more importantly, this also allows us to create a permanent digital archive of landscape, which can be used for future analyses.
|
Relevant Publications
Barnas, A.F., Chabot, D., Hodgson, A., Johnston, D.W., Bird, D.M., and S.N. Ellis-Felege. 2020. A standardized protocol for reporting methods when using drones for wildlife research. Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems . 8(2): 89- 98 https://doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2019-0011
Barnas, A.F., Darby, B.J., Vandeberg, G.S., Rockwell, R.F., and S.N. Ellis-Felege. A comparison of drone imagery and ground-based methods for estimating the extent of habitat destruction by lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) in La Pérouse Bay. PLoS ONE. 14(8) https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217049
Barnas, A.F., Felege, C.J., Rockwell, R.F., and S.N. Ellis-Felege. 2018. A pilot(less) study on the use of an unmanned aircraft system for studying polar bears. Polar Biology. 41: 1055-1062 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-018-2270-0
Barnas, A.F., Newman, R., Felege, C.J., Corcoran, M.P., Hervey, S.D., Stechmann, T.J., Rockwell, R.F., and S.N. Ellis-Felege. 2018. Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys. Ecology and Evolution. 8: 1328-1338 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 PDF
Barnas, A.F., Darby, B.J., Vandeberg, G.S., Rockwell, R.F., and S.N. Ellis-Felege. A comparison of drone imagery and ground-based methods for estimating the extent of habitat destruction by lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) in La Pérouse Bay. PLoS ONE. 14(8) https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217049
Barnas, A.F., Felege, C.J., Rockwell, R.F., and S.N. Ellis-Felege. 2018. A pilot(less) study on the use of an unmanned aircraft system for studying polar bears. Polar Biology. 41: 1055-1062 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-018-2270-0
Barnas, A.F., Newman, R., Felege, C.J., Corcoran, M.P., Hervey, S.D., Stechmann, T.J., Rockwell, R.F., and S.N. Ellis-Felege. 2018. Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys. Ecology and Evolution. 8: 1328-1338 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 PDF
