Abstract
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs; or drones) are an emerging tool to provide a safer, cheaper, and quieter alternative to traditional methods of studying marine megafauna in a natural environment. The UFES Nectology Laboratory team developed a drone-monitoring to assess the impacts on megafauna related to the Fundão dam mining tailings disaster in the Southeast Brazilian coast. We have developed a systematic pattern to optimize the available resources by covering the largest possible area. The fauna observer can monitor the environment from a privileged angle with virtual reality and subsequently analyzes each video captured in 4k, allowing to deepening behavioral ecology knowledge. Applying the drone-monitoring method, we have observed an increasing detectability by adjusting the camera angle, height, orientation, and speed of the UAV; which saved time and resources for monitoring turtles, sea birds, large fish, and especially small cetaceans efficiently and comparably.
Highlights
Known as marine megafauna [1], large mammals, reptiles, fish, and sea birds share ecological functions with the environment, such as the trophic-dynamic regulation of populations, storage and cycling of nutrients, community formation, and habitat provision [2]
The values adopted in this study proved valid for small cetaceans with coastal distribution, such as S. guianensis [36]
This study provided unprecedented information that will serve as a foundation for developing research with marine megafauna using drones
Summary
Known as marine megafauna [1], large mammals, reptiles, fish, and sea birds share ecological functions with the environment, such as the trophic-dynamic regulation of populations, storage and cycling of nutrients, community formation, and habitat provision [2]. The reduction in functional diversity within marine megafauna communities is a consequence of population decline [3]. Because of their environmental effects, marine megafauna species are considered as ecosystem sentinel [4], especially marine mammals [5]. Studies on marine megafauna are challenging and limited due to the need of favorable metocean conditions, logistical difficulties, and short duration of visual observation, mainly in low visibility areas [6]. Drone observations can improve the understanding of animal ecology [8], with significant potential for studies of marine mammals’ behavior [16] and population size [17]
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