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In recent years, drone technologies have been explored for a range of applications in conservation including (but not limited to) mapping, biodiversity inventories, antipoaching patrols, wildlife tracking, and fire monitoring. The rise of customizable, open-source drones like those of ArduPilot and OpenROV hold promise for more effective conservation applications, and combined with other monitoring sensors and devices, they are capable of collecting high-resolution data quickly, noninvasively, and at relatively low cost.

However, challenges remain in putting these tools to use. A recent paper reviewing 256 conservation drone projects highlighted some of these major obstacles, ranging from unintended social and ecological consequences of drone operations to still prohibitive costs, both in terms of hardware and in terms of storing and processing large volumes of data. The longstanding challenge of power/battery life remains as well.

If you're considering trying out drones for yourself, and want to explore the possibilities and understand the major conversations happening around this technology, check out these beginner's resources and conversations from across the WILDLABS platform:

Three Resources for Beginners:

Conservation Technology User Guidelines Issue 5: Drones, World Wildlife Fund | Drones, best practices, ethics, regulations, case studies
WILDLABS Virtual Meetup Recording: Drones, Craig Elder, Dr. Claire Burke, and Gabriel Levin | Drones, thermal camera, wildlife crime, ML, biologging
New Paper: Drones and Bornean Orangutan Distribution, Sol Milne | Drones, data analysis, citizen science, community science, primates

Three Forum Threads for Beginners:

Curious about radio-tracking with drones? | Wildlife Drones, Biologging (5 replies)
Drones for GIS Best practice Document | Adrian Hughes, Drones (10 replies)
WWF Conservation Technology Series: Drones in Conservation | Aurélie Shapiro, Drones (7 replies)

Three Tutorials for Beginners:

How do I use a drone to capture radio-tracking data? | Debbie Saunders, Tech Tutors
How do I choose the right drone for my conservation goals? | Shashank Srinivasan, Tech Tutors
How do I strategically allocate drones for conservation? | Elizabeth Bondi, Tech Tutors

Want to know more about using drones, and learn from experts in the WILDLABS community? Make sure you join the conversation in our Drones group!

*Header photo: Parker Levinson, Point Blue Conservation Science

Description	Activity	Groups	Updated
Tech Tutors: How do I choose the right drone for my conservation goals?	Hi Wildlabbers, Tech Tutors Season 2 continues with our fifth episode, featuring Shashank Srinivasan who will tackle the question...	Drones	4 years 4 months ago
Horizon 2020 UFO project Matchmaking event	The UFO project is an H2020 programme dedicated to supporting the development of innovative products and services by integrating ...	Drones	4 years 4 months ago
Existing guidelines for reducing disturbance to wildlife when using drones-	Hi Isla, That's something that the drone world really needs to take on because there can be a world of difference in drone size, prop types and motor types to reduce impact...	Drones	4 years 5 months ago
Towards a more ethical Indian drone industry	Hello Shashank, I found your post very interesting - congratulations on looking at the ethical side of this technology! One of the reasons that our organisation,...	Drones	4 years 6 months ago
[ARCHIVED] Drones and the law webinar	Very cool, thanks for sharing, Adrian! We'll put this up on Twitter as well.	Drones	4 years 7 months ago
Tech Tutors: How do I use a drone to capture radio-tracking data?	Hi all, Firstly, I'd just like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended my Tech Tutors presentation last month. And secondly, thank you for your patience in allowing...	Animal Movement, Drones	4 years 8 months ago
Rural Research residency in drone sowing and wild seeds in Spain	We are happy to share that we open a worldwide-first research residency in ecosystem restoration with drones and native seeds. Do you...	Drones	4 years 9 months ago
Seeking feedback: draft principles for responsible use of conservation surveillance technology	Hi all, There is a conversation underway in the "Ethics of conservation tech" group on best practices for responsible use of...	Drones	4 years 11 months ago
Using UAVs to Assess carbon in Mangroves	Hi! We've been using our Mavic 2 Pro to create 3d models and volumetric assessments of mangroves. We're learning more about...	Drones	5 years ago
Able to Provide Movement Detection Software For Live Feed Video	Hi Ruth, Thanks for your email. Essentially the software is only an advantage if the drones are being flown at altitudes that provide a wide area and less visible detail (i....	Drones	5 years 2 months ago
New Conservation Dataset with Thermal Infrared Images from Drones	Hi everyone! We are very excited to announce that the BIRDSAI dataset for conservation drones is now publicly available at https://sites....	Drones	5 years 2 months ago
Drone Reforestation Tech for everyone	We are very excited to announce that our open-source drone-reforestation crowdfunding is LIVE! We know climate change is here,...	Drones	5 years 2 months ago