Monitoring wildlife using long‐endurance solar‐electric UAVs

This report discusses the effectiveness of using small solar‐electric UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicles) for aerial wildlife monitoring. We review four years of aerial wildlife monitoring missions using a 5.5‐m wingspan, solar‐electric UAV that was equipped with a gimballed IR/RGB camera. The effectiveness criteria included the ease of operability, the ability to collect applicable data, the disturbance to animals and humans, and the ability to complete large‐area wildlife surveys. The solar‐electric aircraft was operated for approximately 450 h of monitoring missions under various environmental conditions during all seasons, including at temperatures of −30°C. The UAV was flexible with respect to launch and recovery locations, for example, operating from frozen lakes, fields and roads. Due to the low acoustic footprint of its electric propulsion system, the aircraft did not appear to disturb wildlife, despite flying at relatively low altitudes of 120 m or less above the ground. Its solar‐electric architecture allowed for flight times in excess of eight hours. Subsequently, the aircraft was capable of monitoring relatively large areas. In summary, small solar‐electric UAV have shown merit for wildlife monitoring missions and may serve as a valuable tool for wildlife biologists.