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Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advances in uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) have rapidly expanded their utility and use in the fields of wildlife research and conservation. Applications include monitoring, mapping, sample collection, and detection. In some fields of research, UAVs have provided a means of data collection that was not previously possible.

As a continuation of the last Special Issue on “Drone Advances in Wildlife Research”, this Special Issue still aims to identify new developments, methodologies, best practices, and applications of UAVs directly related to wildlife research (flora and fauna) and conservation. We welcome submissions that provide the community with the most recent advances in the use of UAVs for wildlife research including, but not limited to, the following:

UAV data collection methods;
Data processing;
Machine learning and AI;
Multispectral data;
Conservation applications;
Ecological monitoring;
Flora and fauna drone-related research;
Aquatic and terrestrial environments;

This SI aims to be gender-diverse, with 50% of manuscripts led by female-identifying authors. We also strongly encourage submissions from the developing world. In addition, this SI will use the non-gendered term ‘uncrewed’ aerial vehicle.

Dr. Roxane Francis
Dr. Kate Brandis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Drones is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

13 pages, 16692 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Ground and Drone Surveys of Large Waterbird Breeding Rookeries: A Comparative Study

by Roxane J. Francis and Kate J. Brandis

Drones 2024, 8(4), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones8040135 - 02 Apr 2024

Viewed by 867

Abstract

Assessing nesting metrics in large waterbird breeding rookeries is challenging due to their size and accessibility. Drones offer a promising solution, but their comparability with ground surveys remains debated. In our study, we directly compared ground and drone data collected simultaneously over the same breeding areas. Drones excel in accessing remote terrain, enhancing coverage, mapping colony extent and reducing sampling bias. However, flying at the low altitudes required to capture young chicks in nests within densely populated rookeries poses challenges, often requiring observer presence and diminishing the distance advantage. Drones enable rapid data collection and facilitate accurate ibis chick counts, particularly at the “runner” stage when chicks are very mobile, and our surveys found significant differences in the counts between drone and ground surveys at this nesting stage. Ground surveys, on the other hand, provide valuable contextual observations, including water variables and sensory cues concerning the health of the colony. Both methods offer unique insights, with drones providing high-resolution aerial data and ground surveys complementing with human observations. Integrating both methods is ideal for comprehensive waterbird monitoring and conservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drone Advances in Wildlife Research: 2nd Edition)

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