The Development of New Monitoring Techniques

An unmanned aerial vehicle

to track wildlife to conduct wildlife surveys to map vegetation to collect biological samples to plant trees to study remote locations (e.g. Galapagos Islands)

quick results less invasive more likely to capture natural behaviours access remote areas large amounts of data quickly

limited battery life loud - disturbs organisms limited range expensive restriction on use

tool for anti-poaching uses analytics to identify poaching hotspots drone operators can be bribed to give out sensitive information sends clear information to hunters they’re being monitored

counts of populations are more accurate than those on land digitally review counts develop algorithms that count automatically gathers data fast

causes stress on animals - increases heart rate approach angle has a significant impact on birds’ reactions

An artificial body placed in orbit to collect information or for communication

high resolution images geospatial data wildlife migration patterns habitat mapping tracking endangered species using GPS collars monitoring ice cover measure population size

covers vast areas fast data collection large amounts of data collected cost per piece of date is extremely low

high initial cost complex programmes to process data affected by cloud cover

GPS collars and tags - transmit location to satellites at set frequencies marine organisms only transmit locations when at surface radio tracking - requires a receiving antenna to be in the area

GPS tags aims to understand their biology and their conservations tracks broad scale migration establishes key foraging grounds and habitats

GPS tags looks specifically for elephants that become unnaturally mobile aims to tackle poaching builds knowledge of ranging behaviours key to preserving habitats and green corridors

swab environment to find out how many organisms have been present in last few days (saliva, faeces, skin) lowers time spent collecting data uses DNA sequencing cost effective only shows present or absent in that time period

Bluegill Sunfish invasive species use eDNA to locate the fish in Japan via collecting water samples

uses camera traps with movement sensors put into computer programmes to analyse working towards being able to identify individuals

Puma camera traps installed in Costa Rica captured a puma travelling on a steep ridge in wildlife refuge

Analysing the sounds animals makes/ how many are making the sounds used for bats, dolphins and some insects (echolocation) gives data on presence, abundance and activity

Hazel Doormouse difficult to observe in nature - small allows scientists to identify individuals by their vocalisations