Experts flag ecological, privacy concerns over drone deployment for wildlife monitoring

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While drones have emerged as an effective tool for wildlife monitoring and mitigating human-wildlife conflicts, experts caution that their growing use could inadvertently stress wildlife and infringe on people’s privacy.

Although unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, in some cases fitted with payloads such as loudspeakers, are used in several Indian States to monitor wild animals and drive those that stray into human settlements back into forests, the Kerala Forest department currently uses them only for “monitoring purposes”.

Experts and scientists note that drone deployment over civilian areas can infringe on people’s privacy, and in forests, it can be an annoyance to wildlife, especially bees, wasps, and birds. Therefore, deployment of conservation surveillance technologies (CSTs), including drones, camera traps and thermal imaging for conservation and wildlife surveillance warrants a second thought.

Noting that drones have become a necessary tool for studying wildlife, a Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) scientist, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorised to speak on government policy, says flying them too low, too fast, or too loudly could stress animals and affect their behaviour. “Drone operators should always follow safe flying rules. This includes keeping the drone at a safe altitude, flying slowly at a side angle instead of directly overhead, keeping flights short, and staying away from animals when they are nesting or breeding,” the scientist adds.

Acknowledging that CSTs have significantly improved wildlife monitoring and anti-poaching efforts, experts warn that their rapid expansion has also resulted in social, ethical and political implications that remain inadequately addressed. One of the key concerns is privacy, as drones and hidden camera traps can capture images and videos of people without their consent, particularly in and around forest areas. They caution that such recordings could be misused if accessed by unauthorised persons.

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