Using drones to protect biodiversity and spur economic growth in Madagascar

The World Wildlife Fund for Nature estimates that up to five species of life on our planet become extinct every day. A recent study compiling surveys of animal populations around the globe shows that this rate of "biological annihilation" means a sixth mass extinction in Earth's history is under way and is more severe than previously feared. This astonishing rate of decline has potentially catastrophic consequences, not just for the ecosystems where the species are lost, but also for the world economy and planet as a whole. The World Bank estimates that ecosystems provide $33 trillion every year to the global economy: more than the GDP of USA and Europe combined. So it is no surprise that at a recent World Economic Forum the top business leaders, international political leaders and intellectuals around the globe identified biodiversity loss and consequent ecosystem collapse as one of the 10 foremost dangers facing humanity. There is a fundamental need to routinely monitor animal populations so that conservation strategies can be optimized with such information.

The island nation of Madagascar is at the forefront of this biodiversity crisis. Since it split from the African continent an estimated 160 million years ago, Madagascar has developed its own distinct ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife. Approximately 95 percent of Madagascar's reptiles, 89 percent of its plant life, and 92 percent of its mammals exist nowhere else on Earth. Madagascar is therefore one of Earth's hottest biodiversity hotspots. However, the current rate of biodiversity loss is so high that recent studies suggest this is the last chance to avoid many habitats and species becoming extinct.

Over the last few years, with funding from the UK government, we have developed a low cost, robust, and simple to operate thermal-infrared drone system built from off-the-shelf components that can (semi)automatically detect, identify and locate animals and fires in thermal infrared footage. In April 2019, in collaboration with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, we took the system to Madagascar and demonstrated that the system could successfully detect key tracer species of biodiversity and ecosystem health with a greatly increased efficiency over existing methods. Following this success, we are now seeking additional UK funding to build capacity in Madagascar to construct, maintain and fly drones, and begin systematic monitoring of biodiversity in key geographic areas. This will provide the key data that conservation agencies and the government need to ensure future policy decisions deliver sustainable economic growth while protecting and ensuring the long-term stability of the precious ecosystems. As biodiversity is a cornerstone of the country's economy, the proposal will deliver significant, long-term, social and economic impacts.

Throughout the project we will work closely with the Aviation Civil de Madagascar [Civil Aviation Authority of Madagascar], who are currently building a national framework and regulations for operating drones. Having been part of key UK Government panels shaping drone policy for many years, we have extensive experience to help ensure optimal safety and best practice are implemented in drone flight from the beginning. By speeding the uptake of drone technology in Madagascar, the project will act as a catalyst introducing the same transformative changes in all areas of economy and society seen in other countries.

We expect this project to have long-term impacts at the highest national level. The development of clear national drone regulations and the development of a system for granting drone operation licenses will allow for economic development in several sectors, with a clear Madagascar-wide benefit. The first sector will be the creation of an industry providing the theory and flight training and exams that are required to become a licensed operator. At present that industry is non-existent, so represents completely new economic opportunities in Madagascar. This will naturally facilitate a host of other industry sectors (asset management, surveying, film, etc) to start using drones for their operations. As seen the world over, adopting drone technology will allow them to grow economically due to increases in efficiency of their current operations and developing new business opportunities. Given the large expansion in the drone market, the economic growth opportunities for Madagascar will be large. For example, a recent study predicts that by 2030 drones will generate £42bn net impact on the UK economy, with drone technology generating savings of £16bn (https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/intelligent-digital/the-impact-of-drones-on-the-uk-economy.html). The needs of the Madagascan economy differ from that of the UK, but the clear transformative potential of drone technology is perhaps even greater where there is currently little/no local capacity.

DWCT will benefit as the drone centre will allow them to become an independent long-term drone operator and scale up drone operations at the national level for all their projects. The immediate impact of the project within DWCT will be the staff we train, who will be amongst the most highly trained Malagasy in drone building, maintenance and flying, and thus a crucial step in providing such expertise to Madagascar.

Facilitating increased efficiency/efficacy of all DWCT conservation efforts will lead to improved data collection on animal abundance, fires, and poaching. Through collaborations with the Malagasy Government, this will lead to better management of crucial ecosystems and the services they provide to the people of Madagascar. Ecosystem services, such as water, support agriculture and are critical for rice production -- a staple food for the Malagasy. The unique biodiversity of Madagascan ecosystems is a crucial component for the growth of the travel and tourism industry. This industry's contribution to the Madagascar GDP was 16.6% in 2017, has been growing at an annual rate of 6.42% between 1998-2017, and is an important component of the Government's long-term plans to grow the economy.

Looking to the future we hope to expand the project in several directions to increase the impact. Firstly, building on our experience in Madagascar, we will expand the ecosystem monitoring program to different National Parks around the world to try and bring similar environmental and economic benefits to other DAC-list countries. We are in discussions with partners in South Africa, Nepal, Indonesia, Brazil, Tanzania, Congo, and several other countries to apply our expertise there in the conservation setting.

At the same time we are exploring ways in which we can use our expertise with drones and automated analytical pipelines in other sectors such as livestock management, food security, animal health, and search and rescue. Through such scaling up of the expertise gained through the UK Government funding we therefore aim to contribute to several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through our direct work on biodiversity and ecosystems we support the Life on Land (15) goal and due to the better management of ecosystem services this work will also contribute to the No Poverty goal (1) and Clean Water and Sanitation goal (6) and naturally be part of Partnerships for the Goals (17).