Pollinators can now be saved using satellites and drones

Researchers claim that satellites and drones can provide crucial information to protect pollinators.

 

According to a new study, new ways of utilizing these technologies to track the availability of flowers might be paired with behavioral studies to see the world through the eyes of insects.

Human activity is affecting landscapes in ways that influence all pollinators, and the blooms available to insects vary from day to day and place to place.

The South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the University of Exeter study team hope that their method will help us understand these changes and lead to better conservation.

Dunia stated, "Recent advancements in drone and satellite technologies have created new opportunities."

"Drones can now provide exquisite details of a landscape, down to the scale of individual flowers, and when combined with satellite imagery, we can learn about pollinator food availability across a vast area.

"This, in conjunction with insect behavioral research, will aid in our understanding of the risks they face and how to build conservation programmers.

"With several pollinator species on the decline, including many wild bees, we urgently need this understanding to safeguard not only pollinators in general, but also the vast range of species that all play critical roles in complex ecosystems."

By pollinating food crops, pollinators give a variety of benefits (known as ecosystem services) to people.

However, many aspects of their behavior and habitats — as well as the impact of climate and habitat change — have caused chevaliers to be chevaliers.

"Up until now, most satellite research has focused on large-scale agricultural landscapes like oilseed rape, maize, and almond plantations," Gonzales explained.

 

"We stress the need of studying complex plant and pollinator groups in landscapes.

"These vary by location, and combining satellites and drones is an effective approach to learn about these regional differences.

"The South Devon AONB, for example, comprises numerous smaller fields, microhabitats, and typical Devon hedgerows, thus effective conservation strategies here may differ from those that work elsewhere."

The South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership is financed by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).