🚁 Drones
The tropical forest canopy — the dense layer of vegetation 20-40 metres above the forest floor — is one of the most biodiverse and least studied habitats on Earth. For most of the history of tropical biology, accessing the canopy required either laborious rope-climbing techniques or the construction of expensive canopy towers. Drones have changed this equation dramatically: a research drone equipped with a high-resolution camera and multispectral sensors can survey hundreds of hectares of canopy in a single flight, producing data that was previously impossible to collect at reasonable cost.
typical drone survey area per flight
resolution of drone photogrammetric mapping
cost reduction vs traditional surveys
illegal activity detection capability
Standard colour cameras capture what the human eye sees — but tropical forest monitoring benefits enormously from sensors that capture wavelengths beyond the visible spectrum. Multispectral drone cameras measure near-infrared reflectance, which is particularly sensitive to plant health: stressed, diseased, or dying vegetation reflects near-infrared differently from healthy vegetation. This allows drone surveys to identify areas of forest stress — from drought, disease, or early-stage degradation — that are invisible in standard photographs. Hyperspectral drones go further, measuring dozens of narrow spectral bands that can be used to identify individual tree species from the air.
Beyond research applications, drones are increasingly deployed as anti-poaching tools in large protected areas. Thermal imaging drones can detect the heat signatures of humans and vehicles at night — allowing rangers to identify potential poaching activity across vast areas that would be impossible to patrol on foot. In some protected areas, drones equipped with loudspeakers can be deployed to warn potential poachers that they have been detected, deterring illegal activity before it occurs. Air Shepherd, a South African conservation technology organisation, has deployed thermal drone patrols in multiple African parks with documented reductions in rhino and elephant poaching incidents.
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Dr. Nair has spent 14 years developing and deploying technology solutions for tropical forest conservation across Southeast Asia, the Amazon, and the Congo Basin. Her research bridges satellite remote sensing, AI, and community-based monitoring to make conservation technology accessible at scale.