Researchers at the University of Melbourne are leading the world in the innovative use of thermal drones. These cutting-edge gadgets assist them track threatened native fauna in Victoria’s montane forests. This landmark study is led by Dr. Benjamin Wagner. It illustrates how these drones can dramatically improve population estimates and year-round monitoring of an increasing number of threatened species across expansive, forested landscapes.
The study required deploying thermal drones over an area of 200 hectares of forest—enabling them to survey wildlife in a more complete way. Traditional survey methods have surveyors walk through the forest at night with torches looking for animal eye reflections. When compared to aerial thermal imaging consulting, thermal drones can cover up to ten times the area in the same time frame. This efficiency is a significant leap forward in wildlife monitoring.
Dr. Wagner spoke to the critical role this type of technology will continue to play in future conservation endeavors. He noted, “Innovative approaches to conservation, such as drones, are important to more accurately and efficiently monitor species and give them a real chance at survival.”
Advantages of Thermal Drones
The research compared the efficiency and effectiveness of thermal drone surveys against standard ground-based surveys. By utilizing thermal imaging, the drones can detect arboreal fauna that often elude traditional detection methods due to their height in trees. Dr. Wagner pointed out, “Monitoring them is crucial to their survival, but as many species spend most of their time high in the trees, they can be incredibly difficult to detect.”
Compared to the current study’s expectations, the thermal drones crushed it! They were able to detect all nine arboreal mammals predicted to occur in the survey locations. In just a few weeks, they accumulated more than 1,000 observations of native mammals. These are key species such as the Leadbeater’s possum and the southern greater glider, forest birds and ground-dwelling fauna like bandicoots and wombats.
“Using this modern technology, we can map animals across entire forests and see what species co-occur, where rare animals hide, and how some species recolonize after forest fires.”
Ongoing Research and Future Implications
After those first results, Dr. Wagner’s team is expanding their study. They piloted more than 100 additional drone surveys. Through their work, they were able to effectively detect over 4,000 animals to continue enriching our knowledge of wildlife recovery in Victoria’s state forests. This long-term research is continuing to contribute invaluable information about the health and makeup of the native wildlife populations that share the landscape.
Dr. Wagner highlighted the challenges faced by wildlife today, stating, “Populations of our endangered wildlife are shrinking due to habitat loss, forest fires, and climate change.” With this novel application of thermal drones, there’s exciting new potential for researching vulnerable species. It is key to helping them recover.
Since then, the groundbreaking study was accepted for publication in the journal Ecological Applications, the growing impact of this work on the scientific community becoming even clearer. For anyone wishing to dive deeper into the mechanics of our study, we welcome you to read it through DOI 10.1002/eap.70091.