Te Kura Huna o Te Waonui a Tane: Precision Pest Control Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Possums and rats selectively target native tree species to feed on.

This selective feeding pressure can reduce the vigour and health of these trees causing catastrophic dieback.

Currently, pest controllers systematically place bait stations or traps within pest infected areas which is time-consuming, costly and inefficient, or they use expensive aircraft to broadcast toxins at random, within designated zones.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) provide flexibility, can fly in remote and difficult terrain, and are considerably cheaper to purchase and operate than planes and helicopters currently used in conventional aerial pest control operations.

A directed and targeted approach using UAVs is an additional and novel tool in the pest management toolbox that could significantly reduce pest control costs, cover inaccessible areas not receiving any pest management, and will help New Zealand advance towards its predator-free aspiration by 2050.

This research aimed to design and develop a UAV system to deliver a precise load of bait to specific areas