(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The small unmanned aerial machines take both photo and video images and are equipped with gps memory.
a drone monitoring the flamingo population at al wathba wetland reserve. — supplied photo
walking through five square kilometres of marshland to monitor wildlife activity without disturbing nests fisheries or seedlings is nearly an impossible task but the environment agency – abu dhabi (ead) has now found a way of keeping an eye over its protected al wathba wetland reserve: flying robots!
the ead has started using drones to better assess and monitor the flamingo population at al wathba reserve. the aim is to collect information needed for conservation planning. “drones are the future of conservation ... (which is) is impossible without adequate field data” said dr shaikha salem al dhaheri the ead’s executive director of terrestrial and marine biodiversity.
“think of drones as airborne robots able to access the difficult-to-reach areas while minding environmental sensitivities through the minimisation of human presence.”
for now the ead has two drones purchased in november last year. the small unmanned aerial machines take both photo and video images and are equipped with gps memory. “the ones we have fly 500 metres high and 300 metres sideways but by the end of this year we hope to buy more high-end drones” said dr salim javed section manager at the ead’s terrestrial assessment and conservation terrestrial and marine biodiversity.
“when we check an area on foot the horizontal view doesn’t give us a very good view but when viewing the same area from top — from an aerial view — it all becomes very clear.”
flamingos at the reserve as seen from the drone. — supplied photo
al wathba wetland is home to the migratory flamingo which usually prefers to breed in central asia but for over a decade flamingo chicks were born here as well. the first flamingo breeding colony to be recorded in the uae was in al wathba in 1993 and then again in 1999 when 10 chicks successfully fledged at the reserve.
flamingos’ preferred breeding habitats include open lakes lagoons artificial saltpans seashores and freshwater marshes.
coastal mudflats have long been recognised as important habitats for many species of water birds including flamingos. several coastal and inland sites used by tagged flamingos are priority sites for conservation.
according to dr javed al wathba wetland reserve is home to about 2200 flamingos. the birds may breed at any time of the year but “traditionally” at al wathba they breed around the month of june.
“using the drones we already spotted a few nesting eggs; this is another important purpose of using drones — there is no human disturbance of the nests” dr javed said.
in the future the ead also plans to use drones to monitor other wildlife sites and facilities.
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