Impact of Drone Disturbances on Wildlife: A Review
Drones are becoming increasingly valuable tools in wildlife studies due to their ability to access remote areas and offer high-resolution information with minimal human interference. Their application is, however, causing concern regarding wildlife disturbance. This review synthesizes the existing l...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Drones |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/4/311 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850144989623877632 |
|---|---|
| author | Saadia Afridi Lucie Laporte-Devylder Guy Maalouf Jenna M. Kline Samuel G. Penny Kasper Hlebowicz Dylan Cawthorne Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist |
| author_facet | Saadia Afridi Lucie Laporte-Devylder Guy Maalouf Jenna M. Kline Samuel G. Penny Kasper Hlebowicz Dylan Cawthorne Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist |
| author_sort | Saadia Afridi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drones are becoming increasingly valuable tools in wildlife studies due to their ability to access remote areas and offer high-resolution information with minimal human interference. Their application is, however, causing concern regarding wildlife disturbance. This review synthesizes the existing literature on how animals within terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic environments are impacted by drone disturbance in relation to operational variables, sensory stimulation, species-specific sensitivity, and physiological and behavioral responses. We found that drone altitude, speed, approach distance, and noise levels significantly influence wildlife responses, with some species exhibiting increased vigilance, flight responses, or physiological stress. Environmental context and visual cues are also involved in species detection of drones and disturbance thresholds. Although the short-term response to behavior change has been well documented, long-term consequences of repeated drone exposure remain poorly known. This paper identifies the necessity for continued research into drone–wildlife interactions, with an emphasis on the requirement to minimize disturbance by means of improved flight parameters and technology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e0e55dded8d14ec0854157dbe0f40825 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2504-446X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Drones |
| spelling | doaj-art-e0e55dded8d14ec0854157dbe0f408252025-08-20T02:28:12ZengMDPI AGDrones2504-446X2025-04-019431110.3390/drones9040311Impact of Drone Disturbances on Wildlife: A ReviewSaadia Afridi0Lucie Laporte-Devylder1Guy Maalouf2Jenna M. Kline3Samuel G. Penny4Kasper Hlebowicz5Dylan Cawthorne6Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist7Unmanned Aerial Systems Center, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, DenmarkMarine Biological Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, DenmarkUnmanned Aerial Systems Center, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, DenmarkDepartment of Computer Science Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USAInstitute of Conservation Science and Learning, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol BS8 3EZ, UKDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsUnmanned Aerial Systems Center, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, DenmarkUnmanned Aerial Systems Center, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, DenmarkDrones are becoming increasingly valuable tools in wildlife studies due to their ability to access remote areas and offer high-resolution information with minimal human interference. Their application is, however, causing concern regarding wildlife disturbance. This review synthesizes the existing literature on how animals within terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic environments are impacted by drone disturbance in relation to operational variables, sensory stimulation, species-specific sensitivity, and physiological and behavioral responses. We found that drone altitude, speed, approach distance, and noise levels significantly influence wildlife responses, with some species exhibiting increased vigilance, flight responses, or physiological stress. Environmental context and visual cues are also involved in species detection of drones and disturbance thresholds. Although the short-term response to behavior change has been well documented, long-term consequences of repeated drone exposure remain poorly known. This paper identifies the necessity for continued research into drone–wildlife interactions, with an emphasis on the requirement to minimize disturbance by means of improved flight parameters and technology.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/4/311droneswildlife disturbanceanimal behaviorconservationethical drone use |
| spellingShingle | Saadia Afridi Lucie Laporte-Devylder Guy Maalouf Jenna M. Kline Samuel G. Penny Kasper Hlebowicz Dylan Cawthorne Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist Impact of Drone Disturbances on Wildlife: A Review Drones drones wildlife disturbance animal behavior conservation ethical drone use |
| title | Impact of Drone Disturbances on Wildlife: A Review |
| title_full | Impact of Drone Disturbances on Wildlife: A Review |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Drone Disturbances on Wildlife: A Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Drone Disturbances on Wildlife: A Review |
| title_short | Impact of Drone Disturbances on Wildlife: A Review |
| title_sort | impact of drone disturbances on wildlife a review |
| topic | drones wildlife disturbance animal behavior conservation ethical drone use |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/4/311 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT saadiaafridi impactofdronedisturbancesonwildlifeareview AT lucielaportedevylder impactofdronedisturbancesonwildlifeareview AT guymaalouf impactofdronedisturbancesonwildlifeareview AT jennamkline impactofdronedisturbancesonwildlifeareview AT samuelgpenny impactofdronedisturbancesonwildlifeareview AT kasperhlebowicz impactofdronedisturbancesonwildlifeareview AT dylancawthorne impactofdronedisturbancesonwildlifeareview AT ulrikpaghschultzlundquist impactofdronedisturbancesonwildlifeareview |