Conservationists, researchers, wardens, and other stakeholders face a myriad of challenges in their quest to monitor animals in protected areas. The greatest threat in dealing with wildlife is the loss of precious human lives involved in the conservation effort.
There are varied reasons for demarcating an area of land to serve as a reserve for wildlife. These include safeguarding endangered species, monitoring the health of individual animals, recording population counts and population trends, studying migration routes, and preventing poaching and animal trafficking. These laudable reasons notwithstanding, conservation is associated with large tracts of land and difficult-to-reach terrain. The cost of patrolling is high as a result. Human-animal interaction in the field also causes disturbances, especially during the mating of certain animal species. These difficulties become less significant in the face of the danger posed by poisonous animals and carnivores.
A more efficient action is required to monitor biodiversity and support conservation, not only in animals in the bush but also in fisheries. At one point, helicopters were used. Drone technology has become the next stage.
Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are remotely controlled devices that are used for wildlife surveying and monitoring. It is believed that the use of drone technology started in 2011. It has revolutionized ecological studies, replacing what used to be done on foot and in patrol vehicles and boats.
A pertinent question is, how does Ghana leverage drone technology to monitor its wildlife resources?
Antelopes, elephants, primates, baboons, marine turtles, crocodiles, and hundreds of bird species are the prominent wildlife in Ghana. In addition, endemic species, usually used for game, and endangered species like certain lizards and frogs, constitute the Ghanaian fauna.
The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission administers the animals and their habitats. There are 21 protected areas comprising national parks, resource reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, coastal wetlands, and a strict nature reserve. These and a few others also double as tourist and biodiversity research centers. The wildlife division recruits patrol teams for all the protected areas. It also declares an annual closed season for hunting throughout the country.
Drones, equipped with high-resolution cameras, can survey and monitor human and animal activities in the forest. Drone technology is applied extensively in agriculture and health in Ghana. In the wildlife sector, there was a report of the technology being used to protect the hippo population in Bui Lake. Promises by the Forestry Commission to use drones in wildlife conservation abound in the media.
Whether drones could be widely used in protected areas depends on the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). It is the aviation authority that regulates drone operations within the country. The regulator registers drones, issues licenses, and ascertains operators’ qualifications. The challenge, however, is whether protected areas are classified as no-fly zones. We hope they are not.
With the ability to take aerial photographs and videos, there is no doubt that drones exhibit higher performance and cost-effectiveness. Above all, they save human lives.
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