Bots on the Ground vs Boots on the Ground: The Future of Robots in Terrestrial Ecological Surveying

At the 2023 CIEEM Modernising Ecology conference, a robot greeted the attendees as they arrived. Was it a glimpse into the future? As with other technologies, robots have the potential to revolutionise ecological surveying, yet this comes with both optimism and concern about possible impacts on our work. To explore the potential of terrestrial robots, as a group of ecological consultants, research ecologists and roboticists, we participated in a workshop organised by Edinburgh Napier University in 2022. This discussion highlighted some specific areas that might present the greatest opportunities or challenges for robots in terrestrial surveying. There was consensus that robots are likely to allow collection of more, better quality data in many areas, and to do so more safely, thus reducing human risk.