Drones for Ecology and Conservation

Dear Colleagues,

Recent increases in the use of drone-borne sensors for ecological and conservation-related applications have been motivated by reduced costs, increased availability, new and enhanced passive and active sensors (e.g., hyperspectral and lidar), and the development of sophisticated fusion algorithms. Data have moved beyond mapping and monitoring ecosystem flora structure and composition, to directly mapping wildlife, and now to improve understanding of advanced community ecological, conservation biology, and forest ecology theory and application, and human dimensions of sustainability in varied landscape mosaics. In this Special Issue, we invite submissions from the broad ecological and applied conservation community, including but not limited to forest ecologists, wildlife biologists, conservation biologists, land-use and land-cover experts, and sustainability science researchers, who use drone-borne sensors ranging from small and low-cost systems (e.g., DJI Phantom) to complex multisensor fusion platforms (e.g., www.gatoreye.org).

We will be accepting review articles, technical notes, and research contributions. Specifically, innovative themes such as the following subtopics described below will be welcome:

• Use of UAV-LiDAR for parameters attribute at landscape levels and individual trees;
• Application of Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and photogrammetry 3D for helping in the development of natural sciences;
• Integration of remote sensors for the structural representation of forest and trees;
• Integration of platforms for analysis of distribution and density of fauna and flora species;
• Development of methodologies using UAV data approaches for applied conservation;
• Use of drone-borne data for assessing sustainability as relates to human–environment interactions and land use and land cover change (LULCC).

Other themes linked to the title of the Special Edition “Drones for Ecology and Conservation” are also welcome. Please feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions.

Dr. Angelica Maria Almeyda Zambrano
Dr. Eben North Broadbent
Dr. Ana Paula Dalla Corte
Dr. Carlos Alberto Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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