Heathland Environmental Impact Drone-based Evaluation Service
The Heidedrones project aims to establish a cost-effective and replicable framework for drone-based environmental monitoring for conservation management at Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide. The project focuses on three key applications: (1) panoramic photo point and vegetation quadrat monitoring for long-term nature development tracking, (2) corridor monitoring of roads and firebreaks to assess vegetation cover, invasive species, and litter, and (3) land dune and water cover extent mapping to evaluate temporal changes.
By replacing traditional, labour-intensive fieldwork with systematic drone surveys, Heidedrones will improve data quality and efficiency while reducing costs. A secondary goal is to raise public awareness about drone technology in conservation, fostering responsible use and community involvement through volunteer engagement. The project provides a scalable blueprint for conservation teams, improving environmental decision-making through citizen science and further automation.
Challenges and how they will be addressed
An important challenge is the high cost and inconsistent availability of external drone monitoring services for conservation monitoring. Heidedrones addresses this by offering consistent flight plans and affordable consumer drones that can be used collaboratively by terrain managers and volunteers as a model for further scale-up through citizen science as well as automated drones. Image processing and AI-assisted image analysis is to ensure efficient and scalable data collection.
Regulatory compliance and minimizing ecological disturbance are also critical. Flights will follow strict breeding season restrictions to avoid wildlife disruption, and a generic authorization will be put in place with the conservation authorities. Another challenge is public perception and unauthorized drone use in protected areas. Through active community engagement and awareness campaigns, the project will educate the public on the benefits and limitations of drones in conservation, reducing illegal flights.
Tech components and data
Heidedrones utilizes consumer drones to capture and analyse environmental data efficiently. A C0-class drone (e.g., DJI Mini 4 Pro) will be used for general monitoring, while a C1-class drone (e.g., DJI Mavic 3 Classic with full-spectrum camera) will focus on water body analysis and area mapping.
The drones will follow automated flight plans to collect consistent, high-resolution imagery at various altitudes. Data will be processed using direct georeferencing as well as cloud-based photogrammetry and AI-assisted GIS analysis, generating orthomosaics, elevation models, and vector layers for conservation use.
Expected outcomes
1
100 long-term panoramic photo points and 200 permanent vegetation quadrats covered by drone, with a ROI comparison on traditional field work
2
Improved detection of environmental threats: regular monitoring will help control invasive species, litter, and fire risks with actionable maintenance insights
3
Enhanced water management: Seasonal water body monitoring will support conservation efforts and validate satellite-based mapping
4
Increased public awareness: Educational efforts will reduce unauthorized drone flights and engage volunteers.
5
Manuals on flight planning and open image processing methods will provide the basis for further scaling
About Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide
| Full name | Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide |
| Country | Belgium |
| Website | https://grensparkkalmthoutseheide.com |
| Contact Persons | Klaas Pauly |
| Contact’s email |
Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide is a 60 km² nature reserve across the Belgian-Dutch border. Most famous for its heathland, it also encompasses forest, land dunes and fens, with a large diversity of protected species. As an organization, Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide is a cooperative partnership between the various owners, terrain managing organizations and public stakeholders on both sides of the border, jointly working on nature and water conservation management, recreation, information, and education. The border park was established in 2001 on the initiative of the Benelux Economic Union as the first cross-border nature park.
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Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.