Earthwatch is deploying remote controlled helicopters as part of their ‘Climate Change, Canopies and Wildlife‘ project to study the effects of climate change on the Santa Lucia cloud forest reserve in northwestern Ecuador. The helicopter images are used in combination with traditional satellite imagery as well as camera traps to collect species data at ground level. The helicopter images are particularly helpful in determining tree species information in an area of such biodiversity that there may be as many as 300 tree types in a single hectare.
The research project is lead by Mika Peck of the University of Sussex, with an emphasis on the impact of human activity on natural systems. As with many Earthwatch projects, this one offers volunteer opportunities to join the expedition with a minimum donation. Following are details on some of the project tasks that will be assigned to volunteers.
“You’ll help to set up camera traps to record the presence of carnivores; you’ll conduct bird surveys; and you’ll set up an innovative tree canopy camera to record key canopy species and collect and prepare botanical samples. You’ll also help identify and photograph tracks around the traps. Each team will help collect aerial images with a small remote controlled helicopter, and will “ground truth” the images by matching them to the crowns of trees in the forest. At sites that are aerially photographed, you’ll also gather data on the habitat by measuring and counting trees, determining canopy cover, and identifying species of orchids and other plant life.”
View more details, and even sign up for June or September expeditions here.
