Drones are becoming an increasingly popular method of catching illegal loggers.
The versatile camera-wielding devices allow conservationists and government agencies a bird’s-eye view, which has proven beneficial in the fight against the illegal timber trade in Peru’s Alto Mayo protected forest.
In November, park rangers from Peru’s national protected-area agency utilized a Phantom 4 DJI quadcopter, a drone known for its high speeds and long flight duration, to spot a large stack of illegally harvested timber from 328 feet above, according to conservation blog Humanature. The rangers contacted authorities and the illegal logger—who had a permit to cut only about a third of the amount of timber he was harvesting—received a citation and was fined by the regional environmental authority. Conservation International Peru, the activist group that trained the rangers to utilize the drones, plans to expand efforts to train rangers to use drones to monitor and patrol the country’s forestry.
The method has also gained traction in other parts of the world, with indigenous tribes launching drone-patrol programs in Panama and Guyana.
