The team of ELTE-CollMot has been conducting researches related to nature conservation in cooperation with the Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate (DINPI) for years. This year, while they were searching for heron colonies, they managed to map a 700 ha area that has never before been examined using this method. The drones with which the Directorate expand the scope of their field work contribute enormously to the success of Hungarian nature conservation research.

How can a drone contribute to nature conservation?

The world’s first autonomous outdoor fleet of drones was set up to introduce the results of research conducted at the Department of Biological Physics at Eötvös Loránd University on the group cooperation of birds. During their flight, the drones capable of communicating with each other can hardly be told apart from a flock of birds. In addition to its spectacular air shows, CollMot Robotics Ltd., a startup founded to make comprehensive use of the fleet, is a committed supporter of environment protection in Hungary, and thus, of the research conducted on protected birds as well.

Drones are considerably smaller and quieter than traditional aerial motor vehicles, thus they are able to get close to the nesting colonies of birds while staying unnoticed. So far, research has shown that their presence does not disturb the animals, making drones particularly suitable for e.g. the observation of protected birds’ nesting habits. Furthermore, drones can help us gather information over areas that are impossible to enter on foot, such as marshlands and swamps. Thanks to measuring technologies that are capable of addressing specific needs, the maps drawn by drones have centimeter accuracy. While the special image processing methods automatically mark, count and identify individual birds and their nests by assigning them coordinates, rendering the work of field workers and the production of comprehensive statistics noticeably easier.

Several years of cooperation with the Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate

The monitoring of highly protected and colonially nesting bird populations has been carried out by National Park Directorates since 2002. The aim of surveys is to provide protection for the populations and laying the ground for conservation works through the assessment of the population size of the species concerned.

The founders of CollMot find contribution to nature conservation research extremely important. The years of cooperation with the Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate have resulted in numerous achievements. During a survey carried out in 2016, they managed to assess nearly 35 hectares of otherwise inaccessible areas, while searching for the nesting colonies of the family Ardeidae (little egrets, great egrets, grey herons, purple herons and night herons). After this first successful collaboration, in 2017, the two teams got together once again to examine an uncharted territory. This time, the challenge was to get more acquainted with the nesting habits of birds within a 700 ha habitat. Preliminary entries were made with a powered paraglider, that is, a traditional aerial vehicle that causes disturbance to the birds, but at high altitude, it is suitable for getting a preview of the premises.

Based on the images, they were able to identify a minor potential area of interest. The second step was to conduct a precision close-up survey of the birds which was carried out by one of the CollMot drones. The autonomous aerial vehicle recorded the data with a 1 to 2 cm resolution, without causing any disturbance. A positive outcome of the research was, that within the assessed protected sites that are being conserved by the DINPI (in the wetlands of the Dinnyés Marshland and Lake Velence bird reserves’ protected sites as well as the Protected Landscape Area of Tápió-Hajta), the team managed to carry out a precision survey of the heron colonies at more sites than were previously anticipated, thus establishing and supporting nature conservation endeavors in these areas.

The technology of the future supporting effective nature conservation

Research, so far, has shown that drones have a wide range of potential applications, among others, in the field of nature conservation. Today, all innovations that contribute to the trustworthy and comprehensible presentation and use of scientific research results in the public interest are more important than ever before.

Tamás Vidra (DINPI, nature conservation director of the Eastern Pest County Landscape area) on heron colony mapping though drone-assisted aerial photography:

Herons are the characteristic birds of the marshlands extending from Jászberény to Farmos along the Hajta. Their family includes species such as the great bittern or the little bittern that raise their young alone, hiding in the dense reedy vegetation. Although, other heron species prefer living in gregarious nests. Great egrets, purple and grey herons, night herons and occasionally little egrets build their nests in each other’s proximity. Sometimes several dozen at the same time. The heron colonies that were formed this way and extend over a large, sometimes several hundred ha marshland, are very hard to explore. The location of the colonies can be easily estimated based on the “air corridors” frequented by older birds carrying nesting materials or food for the young, but the number or eventually the exact coordinates of the nest cannot. This is when conservationists turn to modern technology. With the help of small drones and cameras secured on them, we can thoroughly map the colonies without disturbing the birds, and what’s more, by applying geographical information software, even the geographical coordinates of the individual nests can be identified. The latter provides enormous help in ringing young birds. We just have to upload the coordinates to a GPS device that can show us the way to the nest. This way, we can avoid aimless and often fruitless rambling through nearly impenetrable reedy vegetation. Thanks to this system, in 2017, we were able to find three new major egret colonies on the outskirts of Farmos, containing 10, 10 and 30 nests respectively.