Does drone-facilitated revegetation work? A case study from Taiwan

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone technology has gained significant traction in ecological restoration projects, particularly in revegetation efforts aimed at stabilizing degraded landscapes. Despite this growing interest, empirical data on the effectiveness of drone-based reseeding...

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Main Authors: Maria Gomez Saldarriaga, Marcus Lee, Samantha Farquhar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia.edu Journals 2025-04-01
Series:Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
Online Access:https://www.academia.edu/128682560/Does_drone_facilitated_revegetation_work_A_case_study_from_Taiwan
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author Maria Gomez Saldarriaga
Marcus Lee
Samantha Farquhar
author_facet Maria Gomez Saldarriaga
Marcus Lee
Samantha Farquhar
author_sort Maria Gomez Saldarriaga
collection DOAJ
description Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone technology has gained significant traction in ecological restoration projects, particularly in revegetation efforts aimed at stabilizing degraded landscapes. Despite this growing interest, empirical data on the effectiveness of drone-based reseeding remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by investigating a core question—“Does drone-facilitated revegetation work?”—using a case study of three landslide-affected sites in Taiwan that underwent UAV seeding, alongside a fourth, untreated control site. We employed a dual remote-sensing approach using Google Earth Engine (GEE), leveraging both the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) to quantify vegetation health before and after drone interventions. Results indicate that two of the three treatment sites showed notable improvements in NDVI and EVI, suggesting successful vegetation establishment, whereas the third site exhibited a less favorable response, highlighting the importance of site-specific conditions. The control site underwent only minimal natural recovery by comparison. These findings underscore the potential advantages of UAV-assisted seeding in challenging terrains and offer insights into how future drone-based revegetation projects might be refined for greater efficacy.
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spelling doaj-art-13eee6da099a40fd8c0376d01a55bb822025-08-20T02:39:15ZengAcademia.edu JournalsAcademia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability2997-60062025-04-012210.20935/AcadEnvSci7624Does drone-facilitated revegetation work? A case study from TaiwanMaria Gomez Saldarriaga0Marcus Lee1Samantha Farquhar2Integrated Coastal Sciences PhD program, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA.Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.Integrated Coastal Sciences PhD program, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone technology has gained significant traction in ecological restoration projects, particularly in revegetation efforts aimed at stabilizing degraded landscapes. Despite this growing interest, empirical data on the effectiveness of drone-based reseeding remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by investigating a core question—“Does drone-facilitated revegetation work?”—using a case study of three landslide-affected sites in Taiwan that underwent UAV seeding, alongside a fourth, untreated control site. We employed a dual remote-sensing approach using Google Earth Engine (GEE), leveraging both the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) to quantify vegetation health before and after drone interventions. Results indicate that two of the three treatment sites showed notable improvements in NDVI and EVI, suggesting successful vegetation establishment, whereas the third site exhibited a less favorable response, highlighting the importance of site-specific conditions. The control site underwent only minimal natural recovery by comparison. These findings underscore the potential advantages of UAV-assisted seeding in challenging terrains and offer insights into how future drone-based revegetation projects might be refined for greater efficacy.https://www.academia.edu/128682560/Does_drone_facilitated_revegetation_work_A_case_study_from_Taiwan
spellingShingle Maria Gomez Saldarriaga
Marcus Lee
Samantha Farquhar
Does drone-facilitated revegetation work? A case study from Taiwan
Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
title Does drone-facilitated revegetation work? A case study from Taiwan
title_full Does drone-facilitated revegetation work? A case study from Taiwan
title_fullStr Does drone-facilitated revegetation work? A case study from Taiwan
title_full_unstemmed Does drone-facilitated revegetation work? A case study from Taiwan
title_short Does drone-facilitated revegetation work? A case study from Taiwan
title_sort does drone facilitated revegetation work a case study from taiwan
url https://www.academia.edu/128682560/Does_drone_facilitated_revegetation_work_A_case_study_from_Taiwan
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