February 13, 2017
Death from the sky for possums
Drones are being used to help Tuhoe tackle possums in Te Urewera.
The new research project has brought together pest trapper Rapaera Black with Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, which was created by the merger of the Waiariki and Bay of Plenty polytechs.
Spectral images taken by the the drones are used to identify clusters of native fauna such as Kamahi and Titoki which are habitually eaten by possums.
Using GIS software, the research team then tags areas for trapping.
That's cheaper and more faster than grid-based trap setting.
Resource Management Associate Professor Craig Morley says Tuhoe country is the largest tract of indigenous forest left in the North Island.
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