A protocol for the aerial survey of penguin colonies using UAVs

Ratcliffe, Norman; Guihen, Damien; Robst, Jeremy; Crofts, Sarah; Stanworth, Andrew; Enderlein, Peter

doi:10.1139/juvs-2015-0006

Cited by 87 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…UAVs can access remote or difficult terrain [3], collect large amounts of data for lower cost than traditional aerial methods, and facilitate observations of species that are wary of human presence [4]. Currently, despite large regulatory hurdles [5], UAVs are being deployed by researchers and conservationists to monitor threats to biodiversity [6], collect frequent aerial imagery [7][8][9], estimate population abundance [4,10], and deter poaching [11]. Studies have examined the behavioral responses of wildlife to aircraft [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] (including UAVs [21]), but with the widespread increase in UAV flights, it is critical to understand whether UAVs act as stressors to wildlife and to quantify that impact.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bears Show a Physiological but Limited Behavioral Response to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

et al. 2015

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Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have the potential to revolutionize the way research is conducted in many scientific fields. UAVs can access remote or difficult terrain, collect large amounts of data for lower cost than traditional aerial methods, and facilitate observations of species that are wary of human presence. Currently, despite large regulatory hurdles, UAVs are being deployed by researchers and conservationists to monitor threats to biodiversity, collect frequent aerial imagery, estimate population abundance, and deter poaching. Studies have examined the behavioral responses of wildlife to aircraft (including UAVs), but with the widespread increase in UAV flights, it is critical to understand whether UAVs act as stressors to wildlife and to quantify that impact. Biologger technology allows for the remote monitoring of stress responses in free-roaming individuals, and when linked to locational information, it can be used to determine events or components of an animal's environment that elicit a physiological response not apparent based on behavior alone. We assessed effects of UAV flights on movements and heart rate responses of free-roaming American black bears. We observed consistently strong physiological responses but infrequent behavioral changes. All bears, including an individual denned for hibernation, responded to UAV flights with elevated heart rates, rising as much as 123 beats per minute above the pre-flight baseline. It is important to consider the additional stress on wildlife from UAV flights when developing regulations and best scientific practices.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bears Show a Physiological but Limited Behavioral Response to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

et al. 2015

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“…We evaluated a basic fixedwing UAS for surveying staging flocks of geese (Branta canadensis and Chen caerulescens) (Chabot and Bird 2012). There has been particular interest in using small, unobtrusive UAS to survey sensitive breeding colonies as an alternative to ground surveys or conventional aerial surveys, for example, gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus and Larus canus) (Sarda-Palomera et al 2012;Grenzdorffer 2013), terns (Sterna hirundo) (Chabot et al 2015), and penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica and P. papua) (Goebel et al 2015;Ratcliffe et al 2015). Seabird colonies have also been monitored using kite-based aerial photography (Delord et al 2015).…”

Section: Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife research and management methods in the 21st century: Where do unmanned aircraft fit in?

Chabot

Bird

2015

J. Unmanned Veh. Sys.

218

183

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Since the turn of the century, emerging unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have found increasingly diverse applications in wildlife science as convenient, very highresolution remote sensing devices. Achieved or conceptualized applications include optical surveying and observation of animals, autonomous wildlife telemetry tracking, and habitat research and monitoring. As the technology continues to progress and interest from the wildlife science community grows, there may yet be much untapped potential for UAS to contribute to the discipline. We present a review of the published primary literature on the application of UAS in wildlife science and related fields. This is followed by a systematic review of the broader wildlife science literature published since the turn of the century to assess where UAS are likely to make important contributions going forward based on the trends that have emerged thus far. UAS, in particular small lightweight models, are generally well suited for collecting data at an intermediate spatial scale between what is easily coverable on the ground and what is economically coverable with conventional aircraft. They are particularly useful for monitoring wildlife and habitats in places that are difficult to access or navigate from the ground, as well as approaching sensitive or aggressive species.Key words: aerial survey, conservation, remotely piloted aircraft system, unmanned aerial vehicle, drone, wildlife monitoring.Résumé : Depuis le début du siècle, les nouveaux systèmes d'aéronefs sans pilote (UAS), en tant qu'appareils de télédétection de haute résolution pratiques, ont donné lieu à de plus en plus d'applications diverses en science de la faune. Les applications réalisées ou conceptualisées comprennent l'inventaire et l'observation optiques des animaux, la localisation autonome de la faune par télémétrie et la recherche et la surveillance des habitats. À mesure que la technologie continue de progresser et que l'intérêt de la part du milieu scientifique du domaine de la faune croît, la contribution des UAS à la discipline pourra augmenter, car il peut y avoir encore beaucoup de potentiel à exploiter. Nous présentons un examen de la littérature primaire publiée portant sur l'application des UAS dans les domaines de la science de la faune et connexes. Un examen systématique de l'ensemble de la littérature de la science de la faune publiée depuis le début du siècle s'ensuit dans le but d'évaluer, d'après les tendances qui ont émergé jusqu'à maintenant, où les UAS vont possiblement faire des contributions à l'avenir. Les UAS, en particulier les petits modèles légers, sont bien adaptés à la collecte de données à une échelle spatiale intermédiaire entre ce qui est facilement saisi sur le terrain et ce qui est saisi à l'aide d'un aéronef traditionnel. Ils sont particulièrement utiles pour la surveillance de la faune et des habitats dans les endroits difficiles à accéder ou à naviguer à partir du sol, ainsi que pour s'approcher des espèces sensibles ou agressives.

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“…UAVs, including Vertical Take-Off & Landing (Goebel et al 2015;Krause et al 2017;Mustafa et al 2017) and small unmanned aircraft systems (according to Watts et al 2012), can operate at lower altitudes and thus can collect higher resolution images at a lower cost than satellites or conventional airplanes (e.g., Berni et al 2009;Anderson and Gaston 2013). The first tests on the suitability of multicopters and fixed-wing UAVs for conducting censuses of penguins were very promising (Trathan et al 2014;Goebel et al 2015;Ratcliffe et al 2015;Zmarz et al 2015) and offered a non-invasive method to study Antarctic wildlife (Korczak-Abshire et al 2016;Rümmler et al 2016). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of fauna population changes on Penguin Island and Turret Point Oasis (King George Island, Antarctica) using an unmanned aerial vehicle

et al. 2018

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An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as an alternative to manned aircrafts is an excellent, less invasive, safe tool, especially in sensitive polar regions. Here we used a fixed-wing UAV to collect data on seabird and pinniped populations in hardly accessible Antarctic areas. The implementation of an auto-piloted UAV equipped with a digital camera (Canon EOS 700D, 35 mm f/2.0 lens) allowed us to collect high-quality material applicable to a quantitative analysis of the fauna populations. A successful photogrammetric mission, at an altitude of 550 m above sea level, was accomplished during one Beyond Visual Line of Sight flight above hard-to-access Penguin Island and Turret Point Oasis (King George Island). Obtained selected RGB images were processed to generate a panoramic image stitch with resolution of 0.07 m ground sampling distance. A total of 4290 (SD = 33.08) breeding individuals of two penguin species, Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus), 426 (SD = 7.78) individuals of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) and 6 individuals of the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) were identified in both study areas. Additionally, 222 (SD = 2.0) individuals of the southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus) and 76 (SD = 1.0) of the Antarctic shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps bransfieldensis) in the Turret Point area were recognized. The presented observations on the natural history of the investigated fauna together with the available literature may be useful in future research on population trends. A comparison with available historical data for both investigated areas suggests a decrease of 68.29% in both penguin species in the 1980-2016 period. The presented results confirmed that UAVs are useful for remote census work for Antarctic seabirds.

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A protocol for the aerial survey of penguin colonies using UAVs

Cited by 87 publications

References 16 publications

Bears Show a Physiological but Limited Behavioral Response to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Bears Show a Physiological but Limited Behavioral Response to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Wildlife research and management methods in the 21st century: Where do unmanned aircraft fit in?

Study of fauna population changes on Penguin Island and Turret Point Oasis (King George Island, Antarctica) using an unmanned aerial vehicle

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