Vegetation responses to flows with a novel drone-based monitoring technique

Major efforts by ecologists in riparian vegetation cover monitoring have been crucial for understanding the impacts of diverse watering regimes on riverbank condition. Conventional ground-based approaches, though valuable, often capture data only within limited areas. Leveraging the potential of drone-based remote sensing offers a great opportunity to gather spatially-explicit measurements of vegetation cover over much larger areas. This presentation showcases a pilot project in which we developed and deployed a novel drone method tailored to detect changes in vegetation cover along riverbanks in response to flow events. By addressing the unique challenges of assessing riparian vegetation, where standard remote sensing techniques encounter difficulties, our novel drone approach represents a significant advancement.

However, certain obstacles to improvement remain. Key among them is the development of a site selection protocol that caters to both the technology utilised and the dynamic river environment. Overcoming this challenge will optimise the effectiveness of drone-based approaches and ensure their effective integration into river habitat assessments.

The potential of drone-based techniques, tailored for riparian vegetation monitoring, complements traditional ground-based methods. Because the method is not species specific, it offers a significant opportunity to scale up riverbank condition evaluations in all Selected Areas of the Murray-Darling Basin and beyond.

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