A pilot study to estimate the population size of endangered Galapagos marine iguanas using drones.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Large-scale species monitoring remains a significant conservation challenge. Given the ongoing biodiversity crisis, the need for reliable and efficient methods has never been greater. Drone-based techniques have much to offer in this regard: they allow access to otherwise unreachable areas and enable the rapid collection of non-invasive field data. Herein, we describe the development of a drone-based method for the estimation of population size in Galápagos marine iguanas, Amblyrhynchus cristatus. As a large-bodied lizard that occurs in open coastal terrain, this endemic species is an ideal candidate for drone surveys. Almost all Amblyrhynchus subspecies are Endangered or Critically Endangered according to the IUCN yet since several colonies are inaccessible by foot, gro

SUBMITTER: Varela-Jaramillo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9878759 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature