SWITZERLAND: Ecologists take to the skies in fight against illegal loggers with flying drone that can capture evidence of illegal activity on film

Record ID: 184856

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: Ecologists take to the skies in fight against illegal loggers with flying drone that can capture evidence of illegal activity on film
  • Date: 21st May 2012
  • Summary: MAUR, SWITZERLAND (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ECOLOGIST AND DRONE INVENTOR, LIAN PIN KOH, SAYING: "The problems of tropical deforestation and biodiversity loss in the tropics are very serious and many of these problems are driven by industrial agricultural expansion, by trade in wildlife, for example, and what we are trying to do now is just to help contribute to solving some of these problems." ECOLOGIST AND DRONE INVENTOR LIAN PIN KOH TALKING TO JOURNALIST. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ECOLOGIST AND DRONE INVENTOR, LIAN PIN KOH, SAYING: "Of course we need a lot of help and collaboration with local departments, local forestry departments and agricultural departments, with local NGO's and so on, but I hope by making this technology so affordable for many of these developing country workers, we can take a big step towards solving many of these problems." ECOLOGIST AND DRONE INVENTOR, LIAN PIN KOH, PREPARING DRONE BEFORE FLIGHT WHILE HIS WIFE AND JOURNALIST (IN BLACK) ARE LOOKING.
  • Embargoed: 5th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Switzerland, Indonesia
  • City:
  • Country: Switzerland Indonesia
  • Topics: Crime,Environment / Natural World,Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVAESNDSIA32VTR039DCFTNA48GO
  • Story Text: Ecologists can now get a bird's eye view of what's happening to the world's most remote forests with the use of a simple video camera attached to an inexpensive flying drone.
    The drone was designed by scientists in Switzerland who found that most pilotless planes proved too expensive at around $10,000 USD each. Tropical ecologists from Zurich University led by Lian Pin Koh and Serge Wich decided to build their own craft, using parts ordered on the internet from China and the United States, as well as a local hobby shop in Switzerland.
    The technology behind the drone is not new, but it's the way the two ecologists use it that is, says Koh. His team spent less than $2,000 USD on the material, which included the drone's open source based computer controlling system and the video camera that films during flights.
    Their first test flight was carried out in February on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where illegal logging of trees and the hunting of endangered species are ongoing problems.
    The local authorities and conservationists find both issues difficult to combat. Forest areas are often inaccessible and the vast areas of forest make it hard to locate the culprits. It's also a dangerous business, with the ever-present risk of being spotted by armed loggers.
    From 250 metres above ground however, the drones can cover an area of 100 hectares (247 acres).
    "The main initial idea was to use this drone to take videos and photographs of these orang-utans from the air so that we can better monitor and survey their populations in the wild," said Koh.
    The videos from the drone proved useful.
    "We were able to see evidence of logging of forests in Sumatra, rainforests. We could also see expansions of agricultural plantations, which is a major threat to the remaining primary forests in many parts of the tropics, and we also saw fires going on in the forests," Koh said.
    He added: "The problems of tropical deforestation and biodiversity loss in the tropics are very serious and many of these problems are driven by industrial agricultural expansion, by trade in wildlife, for example, and what we are trying to do now is just to help contribute to solving some of these problems."
    The plane can fly for up to 45 minutes at 10-12 metres (33-39 feet) per second, powered by lithium batteries similar to those used in cell phones.
    The Swiss team says it needs more support for the project:
    "We need a lot of help and collaboration with local departments, local forestry departments and agricultural departments, with local NGO's and so on, but I hope by making this technology so affordable for many of these developing country workers, we can take a big step towards solving many of these problems relatively soon in the near future", Koh said.
    The ecologists are currently working on testing an infrared camera that will enable them to fly the drone at night, where it will be easier to locate animals and people in the forests.
    They intend to expand their monitoring flights to include parts of Malaysia and the island of Borneo in the spring of 2012, before releasing instructions on how to build and use the drone on the internet, so other ecologists can help the fight to prevent logging and illegal hunting.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register