JOIN USEven before the Centre’s move to create a “Special Rhino Protection Force” in Assam to protect rhinos in their habitat, hopes have rekindled for deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Kaziranga National Park to keep an eye on poachers.
Prompted by its success at the Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh, a three-day trial of hi-tech aerial vigilance using drones was conducted in Kaziranga earlier, but the Union government has not given its nod for its deployment. So much so, the two drones used for trials are still lying unused at Kaziranga, awaiting clearance from the Centre.
“We have moved the Centre again for clearance. We have told the Union forest and environment minister during his recent visit to the State and we have also given a memorandum in this context. Now that it has been deployed at Panna, we should also get it,” state Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain told Deccan Herald.
For operation of drones, it is imperative that the civil aviation and defence ministries should give their consent. “The civil aviation clearance is required for use of air space and the defence ministry clearance for aerial photography.
The defence ministry is yet to give its nod,” official sources said. “Several areas of Kaziranga could not be easily accessed. Patrolling becomes even more difficult during rains. Use of drone will definitely yield results, especially in the hilly stretches and riverine areas,” WWF’s Anupam Sharma said.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTAC) plans to use drones in Panna and based on the results, will replicate the same in other areas, wildlife experts said. The trials at Panna were held using an assembled drone worth Rs 6 lakh. It is for the first time that India has deployed UAVs for wildlife research and management.
Deployment and integration of drones would be taken up indigenously, while research and development would continue with national and international partners. Drones can help the forest officials get updates from dense forest areas as they have a receiver system that can penetrate into a canopy of trees. The data collected by drones can go straight to the experts, without any human interference.
Conservation drones are low-cost UAVs that can be used for effective surveillance of wildlife. They are capable of autonomous flights for over 30 minutes or more at a stretch, covering a range between 30 km to 50 km. They can also be equipped with high definition night vision cameras and can relay real time images and videos back to the control room. It can do the work of 50 rangers.