Taking flight in the wetland<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Pantanal Wetland is the world\u2019s largest tropical floodplain. It has a seasonal rainy climate and receives periodic flooding from nearby rivers. Brack and his team\u2019s study area, the Sesc Pantanal Private Reserve, covers 108,000 hectares and is characterized by a tropical savanna climate and an average rainfall of 1,200 millimeters.<\/p>\n
The researchers conducted the study during the wetland\u2019s dry season in September and October, where rainfall wouldn\u2019t pose a challenge. But the dense, wet tropical landscape still makes traditional wildlife counts difficult, making drones the ideal tool.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been working with drones for some years,\u201d Brack said, adding that he has used them to detect species before. \u201cThat\u2019s a nice thing with this study. We\u2019re really applying this approach for an ecological problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
While drones are fairly common, Brack said that using them for science can be somewhat challenging, especially when navigating proper licensure for drone flights.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a tool with great potential to survey wildlife species,\u201d he said. \u201cThe challenges are implementing methods that give you the most reliable information, and there are many legal restrictions that are tough to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each flight took the team just over an hour. The researchers conducted the flights during the coolest hours of the day when deer are most active, and they made sure the drones avoided highly forested areas marsh deer don\u2019t tend to use. In total, the researchers operated 25 flights, collecting 25,000 images.<\/p>\n
Counting marsh deer<\/strong><\/p>\nResearchers reviewed the thousands of images to ensure accuracy. They carefully examined the images while marking each marsh deer found with special software.<\/p>\n
Over the course of two-month study, the team counted 66 marsh deer. While this may not seem like a large number, the flights and photographs provided valuable insight into the deer\u2019s habitat. Identifying these high-quality areas for marsh deer can improve conservation planning actions, like designating protected areas or mapping firefighting priorities during wildfires.<\/p>\n
The researchers found marsh deer preferred areas with significant green vegetation that were closer to bodies of water. However, the team also discovered that this habitat overlaps with that of predators, specifically jaguars, during the dry season. The risk of predation, though, did not deter the marsh deer from these areas.<\/p>\n
Future research<\/strong><\/p>\nIn 2020, the Pantanal was severely impacted by wildfire. As a result, Brack believes that using drones will allow researchers to better understand the effects of these fires on the Pantanal flora and fauna.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstanding the factors that really affect the abundance of the species was the first step,\u201d Brack said. \u201cBut now, we\u2019ve been trying to monitor the species in the same reserve with the same methods. We had these huge megafires in 2020 that impacted more than 90% of the reserve, so we are trying to use the same methodology to really see the impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article<\/a> by Megan Radke was first published by The Wildlife Society on 7 October 2024. Lead Image: Marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) are a vulnerable cervid species in South American wetlands, savannas and grasslands. Credit: Ismael Brack.<\/i><\/p>\nWhat you can do<\/h2>\n
Help to save wildlife by donating as little as $1 \u2013 It only takes a minute.<\/p>\n
\n