Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Commercial drones can provide accurate and effective monitoring of the world's rarest primate

Commercial drones can provide accurate and effective monitoring of the world's rarest primate The recently established Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park has designated the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) as its flagship species, providing new hope for recovery of the last surviving population of the world's rarest primate. However, current monitoring methods are labour‐intensive and only conducted for discrete periods, meaning that detailed information is still lacking on key Hainan gibbon population parameters (such as movement patterns, sleeping site selection and home range size). Alternative monitoring techniques are therefore necessary to supplement traditional methods and provide more accurate estimates of population parameters. Here, we tested whether flying two drones (DJI MAVIC2 Enterprise Advanced), one in the understory and the other above the canopy, could provide new information on Hainan gibbon biology and ecology. During a total of 60 flights, we successfully collected clear RGB and thermal infrared footage of Hainan gibbons. These data provide new baseline information on gibbon movement within the understory and the canopy, their surface body temperatures (23.0–34.7°C), and their movement area during the survey period. The low cost of this equipment could reduce the running costs for Hainan gibbon monitoring. Although drone‐based monitoring has some limitations (e.g. monitoring efficiency could be affected by variation in forest structure and gibbon group size), this new method could complement existing monitoring approaches. Drone‐based monitoring, using multiple drones and a real‐time transmission network, could therefore contribute further towards Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park's conservation planning for this Critically Endangered primate. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation Wiley

Commercial drones can provide accurate and effective monitoring of the world's rarest primate

Download PDF
12 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/wiley/commercial-drones-can-provide-accurate-and-effective-monitoring-of-the-U0pI8mKWdV
Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2023 Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ISSN
2056-3485
eISSN
2056-3485
DOI
10.1002/rse2.341
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The recently established Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park has designated the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) as its flagship species, providing new hope for recovery of the last surviving population of the world's rarest primate. However, current monitoring methods are labour‐intensive and only conducted for discrete periods, meaning that detailed information is still lacking on key Hainan gibbon population parameters (such as movement patterns, sleeping site selection and home range size). Alternative monitoring techniques are therefore necessary to supplement traditional methods and provide more accurate estimates of population parameters. Here, we tested whether flying two drones (DJI MAVIC2 Enterprise Advanced), one in the understory and the other above the canopy, could provide new information on Hainan gibbon biology and ecology. During a total of 60 flights, we successfully collected clear RGB and thermal infrared footage of Hainan gibbons. These data provide new baseline information on gibbon movement within the understory and the canopy, their surface body temperatures (23.0–34.7°C), and their movement area during the survey period. The low cost of this equipment could reduce the running costs for Hainan gibbon monitoring. Although drone‐based monitoring has some limitations (e.g. monitoring efficiency could be affected by variation in forest structure and gibbon group size), this new method could complement existing monitoring approaches. Drone‐based monitoring, using multiple drones and a real‐time transmission network, could therefore contribute further towards Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park's conservation planning for this Critically Endangered primate.

Journal

Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation – Wiley

Published: Jun 7, 2023

Keywords: Conservation technology; drone; Hainan gibbon; monitoring methods; RGB footage; thermal infrared footage

References

  • Detection of a new Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) group using acoustic call playback
    Bryant, J.V.; Brulé, A.; Wong, M.H.G.; Hong, X.; Zhou, Z.; Han, W.
  • Spatiotemporal requirements of the Hainan gibbon: does home range constrain recovery of the world's rarest ape?
    Bryant, J.V.; Zeng, X.; Hong, X.; Chatterjee, H.J.; Turvey, S.T.
  • Humans preserve non‐human primate pattern of climatic adaptation
    Buck, L.T.; De Groote, I.; Hamada, Y.; Stock, J.T.
  • Successful observation of orangutans in the wild with thermal‐equipped drones
    Burke, C.; Rashman, M.F.; Longmore, S.N.; McAree, O.; Glover‐Kapfer, P.; Ancrenaz, M.
  • Hainan gibbon status survey and conservation action plan
    Chan, B.; Fellowes, J.; Geissmann, T.A.; Zhang, J.
  • New hope for the Hainan gibbon: formation of a new group outside its known range
    Chan, B.P.L.; Lo, Y.F.P.; Mo, Y.
  • Infrared thermal imaging in studies of wild animals
    Cilulko, J.; Janiszewski, P.; Bogdaszewski, M.; Szczygielska, E.
  • Detection probability and sources of variation in white‐tailed deer spotlight surveys
    Collier, B.A.; Ditchkoff, S.S.; Raglin, J.B.; Smith, J.M.
  • Sleeping sites of black‐and‐white snub‐nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Baima Snow Mountain, China
    Cui, L.‐W.; Quan, R.C.; Xiao, W.
  • Bears show a physiological but limited behavioral response to unmanned aerial vehicles
    Ditmer, M.A.; Vincent, J.B.; Werden, L.K.; Tanner, J.C.; Laske, T.G.
  • Reproductive phenology and its drivers in a tropical rainforest national park in China: implications for Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) conservation
    Du, Y.; Li, D.; Yang, X.; Peng, D.; Tang, X.; Liu, H.
  • Automated detection of Hainan gibbon calls for passive acoustic monitoring
    Dufourq, E.; Durbach, I.; Hansford, J.P.; Hoepfner, A.; Ma, H.; Bryant, J.V.
  • Use of infrared thermography to detect thermographic changes in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) experimentally infected with foot‐and‐mouth disease
    Dunbar, M.R.; Johnson, S.R.; Rhyan, J.C.; McCollum, M.
  • Use of infrared thermography to detect signs of rabies infection in raccoons (Procyon lotor)
    Dunbar, M.R.; MacCarthy, K.A.
  • Impending extinction crisis of the world's primates: why primates matter
    Estrada, A.; Garber, P.; Rylands, A.; Roos, C.; Fernandez‐Duque, E.; Di Fiore, A.
  • Distance makes the difference in thermography for ecological studies
    Faye, E.; Dangles, O.; Pincebourde, S.
  • Sleeping tree selection of Cao Vit gibbon (Nomascus nasutus) living in degraded karst forest in Bangliang, Jingxi, China
    Fei, H.L.; Scott, M.B.; Zhang, W.; Ma, C.Y.; Xiang, Z.F.; Fan, P.F.
  • Current status of the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus): progress of population monitoring and other priority actions
    Fellowes, J.; Chan, B.; Lok, P.; Zhou, J.; Shenghua, C.; Shibin, Y.
  • A global‐scale evaluation of primate exposure and vulnerability to climate change
    Graham, T.L.; Matthews, H.D.; Turner, S.E.
  • Using unmanned aerial vehicles with thermal‐image acquisition cameras for animal surveys: a case study on the Sichuan snub‐nosed monkey in the Qinling Mountains
    He, G.; Yang, H.; Pan, R.; Sun, Y.; Zheng, P.; Wang, J.
  • Zoo and wild animal medicine current therapy
    Hilsberg‐Merz, S.
  • Hot monkey, cold reality: surveying rainforest canopy mammals using drone‐mounted thermal infrared sensors
    Kays, R.; Sheppard, J.; McLean, K.; Welch, C.; Paunescu, C.; Wang, V.
  • Recovery hopes for the world's rarest primate
    Liu, H.; Ma, H.; Cheyne, S.M.; Turvey, S.T.
  • The value of infrared thermography for research on mammals: previous applications and future directions
    McCafferty, D.
  • Measuring disturbance at swift breeding colonies due to the visual aspects of a drone: a quasi‐experiment study
    Mesquita, G.P.; Rodríguez‐Teijeiro, J.D.; Wich, S.A.; Margarita, M.P.
  • Unmanned aircraft systems as a new source of disturbance for wildlife: a systematic review
    Mulero‐Pázmány, M.; Jenni‐Eiermann, S.; Strebel, N.; Sattler, T.; Negro, J.; Tablado, Z.
  • Surface temperature patterns in seals and sea lions: a validation of temporal and spatial consistency
    Nienaber, J.; Thomton, J.; Horning, M.; Polasek, L.; Mellish, J.A.
  • Using drones and sirens to elicit avoidance behaviour in white rhinoceros as an anti-poaching tactic
    Penny, S.G.; White, R.L.; Scott, D.M.; Lynne, M.; Pernetta, A.P.
  • Noninvasive technologies for primate conservation in the 21st century
    Piel, A.K.; Crunchant, A.; Knot, I.E.; Chalmers, C.; Fergus, P.; Mulero‐Pázmány, M.
  • Eyes in the sky: assessing the feasibility of low‐cost, ready‐to‐use unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor primate populations directly
    Semel, B.P.; Karpanty, S.M.; Vololonirina, F.F.; Rakotonanahary, A.N.
  • Thermal infrared imaging from drones offers a major advance for spider monkey surveys
    Spaan, D.; Burke, C.; McAree, O.; Aureli, F.; Rangel‐Rivera, C.E.; Hutschenreiter, A.
  • Insights into animal temperature adaptations revealed through thermal imaging
    Tattersall, G.J.; Cadena, V.
  • An assessment of skin temperature gradients in a tropical primate using infrared thermography and subcutaneous implants
    Thompson, C.L.; Scheidel, C.; Glander, K.E.; Williams, S.H.; Vinyard, C.J.
  • Historical data as a baseline for conservation: reconstructing long‐term faunal extinction dynamics in late Imperial–modern China
    Turvey, S.T.; Crees, J.J.; Di Fonzo, M.M.I.
  • Approaching birds with drones: first experiments and ethical guidelines
    Vas, E.; Lescrol, A.; Duriez, O.; Boguszewski, G.; Grémillet, D.
  • Sleeping sites of Rhinopithecus brelichi at Yangaoping, Guizhou
    Xiang, Z.F.; Nie, S.G.; Chang, Z.F.; Wei, F.W.; Li, M.
  • Thermal infrared imaging from drones can detect individuals and nocturnal behavior of the world's rarest primate
    Zhang, H.; Wang, C.; Turvey, S.T.; Sun, Z.; Tan, Z.; Yang, Q.