Thermal imaging drone surveys is an emerging technology commonly utilised in wildlife monitoring and management. Drone surveys offer a safe, fast and cost-effective method for surveying large areas, especially where vehicle and personnel access is challenging.
Droning Technology to Map and Monitor Wildlife
Our team of five pilots is trained and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) certified to deliver optimum results in koala detection and monitoring. Our experience in thermal drone surveys spans more than 1,000 hours of flying time, equivalent to 600 days of flying time dedicated to drone surveys of koala populations.
The wildlife-specific experience of drone survey teams is crucial for survey accuracy and the detection of koalas.
Our proficiency in thermal drone surveys, combined with our extensive experience in koala ecology, instils confidence in clients regarding koala population surveys and facilitates well-informed decision-making in koala management.
Detection Rate Confidence
Accurate population abundance estimates rely on calculations of the numbers of animals found in the survey, as well as those that were missed. We are uniquely positioned to quantify how many of our monitored koalas at a site are detected by thermal drone during population surveys, providing us with sightability estimates to better assess true population abundance.
We have expanded the use of thermal drones for observation and surveying of other arboreal and ground-dwelling species of local, state, and national significance, including greater gliders, flying foxes, and other fauna on our client projects.
Koalas are a cryptic species that are hard to
detect by traditional, on-ground surveys, unless
conducted by a highly experienced team.
Thermal imaging droning has revolutionised the
surveying of koala populations and provides
more accurate koala population census, which is
needed to better manage and conserve koala populations federally.
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Night-time thermal drone surveys have an
advantage over traditional surveys as koalas are
most active at the tops of tree canopies feeding
during this time, improving detectability.
Koalas are one of the largest arboreal animals in
Australia with a distinctive heat signature that
can be detected well above the tree canopy by thermal cameras.
Recent studies confirm that drones flying above koalas have no discernible effect on the animals. Our experience corroborates these findings, as koalas have been observed to continue feeding or remain asleep during drone activity.
Droning can minimise project costs, rapidly
tracking wildlife over tricky terrain and improve
field staff safety.
Our Drone Clients
