How drones can be used to monitor protected areas

Siri Olsson

By GRID-Arendal

October 29^th, 2019

The FishGuard Initiative aims to reduce illegal fishing and other crimes by equipping authorities with drones and associated technology. The FishGuard team is testing the use of drones to monitor protected areas in the Seychelles, a nation of more than 100 islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa.

GRID-Arendal’s Rob Barnes, Ranger Jason Bastille and a representative from the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate using a map of Curieuse Island National Marine Park to plan a test mission. Credit: Valentin Emelin, GRID-Arendal

Nearly half of the land area in the Seychelles is protected as well as about 300 square kilometres of sea – a vast area that is difficult to monitor with limited resources. Affordable technology solutions could make the task much more manageable.

In the Seychelles, the FishGuard initiative proposes to equip rangers who oversee protected areas with small quadcopter drones. Such low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles can extend the rangers’ capacity to scan remote protected areas for scientific purposes and to watch out for illegal activities.

During the last mission to Seychelles, thanks to the support of Alain de Comarmond, the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (Environment Department), a quadcopter Mavic II drone was tested in the Curieuse Island National Marine Park. The tests included monitoring of bird species and tortoises in remote places and tourists’ watch to prevent possible acts of poaching or vandalism. Ranger Jason Bastille, who works for Curieuse Marine National Park, Seychelles, explains:

Going forward, FishGuard intends to support the Seychelles’ Ministry of Energy, Climate and Environment and the Park Authority in better management of protected territories, including Marine Protected Areas. Additional tests will be conducted under different conditions, including night watches using infrared cameras and the use of sirens and loudspeakers on drones to deter illegal activity. The strategic use of drone technology is expected to increase the capacity of the Park Authority to monitor protected areas and reduce fuel costs dramatically.

FishGuard is an initiative of GRID-Arendal and two partners: ATLAN Space, a Moroccan start-up that develops artificial intelligence for drones; and Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT), a Norwegian non-profit that conducts fisheries intelligence analysis.