Nature Conservation Mapping in Namibia

from blog.droneadventures.org

There is much talk on how to use drone mapping technology for nature conservation. However, projects with applicable results for both conservation land use management as well as wildlife conservation, such as animal counts, are few and far between. This past May, Drone Adventures teamed up with Kuzikus Wildlife Reserve, as well as the Polytechnic of Namibia to carry out a two-week mapping mission to explore the variety of uses that drone mapping can offer nature conservation.

The nature conservation field is known to make use of new technologies to support the hard and continuous efforts that are made worldwide by researchers, local communities, governments and hundreds of NGO’s on a daily basis to conserve the many natural wonders and animal species that try to co-habit with the ever growing human population. Namibia is on the forefront of nature conservation, and not only the government but also a large number of private landowners and local communities in conjunction with tourism companies dedicate vast efforts to conserve the semi-arid savannas and desert environments that make up 90% of the country’s surface.

Our mission was part of a trans- and interdisciplinary research initiative led by Kuzikus Wildlife Reserve in conjunction with the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Lausanne (EPFL) and the Polytechnic of Namibia. Our part of this initiative was to acquire imagery with light-weight drones and various cameras, including multi-spectral cameras, to produce up-to-date, high-resolution maps and models for data analysis. In line with Drone Adventures’ spirit, the initiative’s goal was to share the resulting maps and models as well as the knowledge on hard- and software use with all involved parties and the local community. In view of the vast mapping mission that lay before us and the many questions our research partners wanted to answer with their in-depth analysis, two Drone Adventures teams relayed each other, each on Namibian ground for a week, to fly our drones and process the thousands of images acquired.

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