Technology is helping us tackle enormous challenges in the conservation of our native ecosystems. Envico Technologies’ innovative drone solutions are helping restore our forests at an incredible speed and scale.
Restoring a pine forest back to a native forest is a big job. Up until now, revegetation has been carried out by people planting native trees by hand. It’s effective but slow and expensive. It can also be dangerous in our steep and treacherous forest areas. Sam Vye and Cameron Baker wondered if they could help by using drones to quickly scatter seeds across a large area.
Sam and Cameron’s company Envico Technologies created a special seed pod and a system to distribute them from a drone. The seed pods are made from organic material and hold a number of hardy native tree seeds such as Kanuka, Manuka, and Mahoe. They lay dormant on the ground waiting until rain softens the material and the seeds can start to germinate.
The drone is a 6 blade multi-copter that runs off batteries (no CO2 emissions) and carries up to 5,000 seed pods. Using a special spinning attachment, the drone shoots out the pods up to 50 metres as it flies. In just 30 minutes a drone could make 10 fights and scatter 50,000 seed pods!
This year Envico started a trial using their drones to replant an area of harvested pine forest in the Hunua Ranges in Auckland. Watercare wants to replant 2,200 hectares of pine forest with natives to help reduce silt run-off into the Hunua water catchments that form part of Auckland’s water supply.
Because seeds take time to germinate and grow, it will be about 3 years before they know if the trial was a success. But in the meantime, the team at Envico is busy using drones to tackle other conservation challenges.
“Every day we get up because we know that what we do, what we build, benefits the environment”
MONITORING PEST PREDATORS
It’s important to know how many pest predators live in a conservation area to understand the scale of the problem and to be able to measure if any pest control measures are working. Unfortunately, a lot of our introduced predators are small, sneaky, and nocturnal (active at night) making it difficult to spot them.
Using a drone with a thermal imaging camera can spot small animals in the dark by picking up their body heat. Machine learning helps a computer quickly identify what animal the camera is seeing by learning their size and shape.
Envico is working with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research to use this technology to calculate predator population numbers in conservation areas.
“Restoring nature so indigenous species can thrive requires new tools and technologies for predator control in a way that is humane, safe, effective, and affordable…Drones have the potential to be a game-changer.” Eugenie Sage — Minister for Conservation
PREDATOR CONTROL
Sam and Cameron’s team have more drone-based technology in development with DOC the Department of Conservation. They are presently developing an autonomous unmanned helicopter that can be used to distribute predator control bait. This technology allows for predator control and eradication over rugged and isolated landscapes.
Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage says, “Drones have the potential to be a game-changer — in helping remove pests from remote offshore islands, respond to pest incursions and suppress predators on mainland New Zealand. They may become another of the broad range of tools available to the Department of Conservation (DOC) and landholders to manage predators and restore New Zealand’s unique natural landscapes
“This Government is supporting innovative Kiwi companies such as Envico to develop the technology of the future to bring back our native wildlife.”
For more information about Envico Technologies visit their website
By Teina Herzer, MOTAT Digital Engagement Manager
Images kindly supplied by Envico Technologies
Originally published at https://www.motat.nz.
