A Drone for Nature Conservation

The drone is flown

With the help of a donation from Aufwind, the Kleve Nature Conservation Center has significantly improved its ability to protect endangered meadow birds. The funds were used to purchase a state-of-the-art drone with a thermal imaging camera that makes it possible to detect the well-camouflaged bird nests in higher grass at an early stage.

View from a new perspective

In the past, it was often difficult for conservationists to discover the hidden nests of curlews, lapwings or black-tailed godwits, for example, in the dense grass of the wetlands in good time before mowing. Due to the late localization, the clutches could not always be saved from mowing despite all the care taken. With the drone, the grassland can now be systematically searched for nests without disturbing the sensitive meadow birds by entering the areas.

Eggs discovered

The employees of the nature conservation center mark the discovered bird nesting sites and inform the farmers who cultivate the areas. They can then selectively remove the areas with the nests during mowing and thus prevent nests or young birds from being destroyed. This targeted protection measure, which was made possible thanks to drone technology, greatly improves the reproduction chances of the highly endangered ground-nesting birds in the region. The project is an excellent example of how modern technology and nature conservation can go hand in hand.

Here is a post from the Kleve Nature Conservation Center on the subject: Link