Innovative use of drone technology to monitor the health of rainforest has seen a group of scientists and researchers from Switzerland reach the final of the XPRIZE Rainforest, a $10 million global environmental competition.
The Swiss team used drones to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) samples without actually setting foot in the rainforest. They then analysed the collected data and identified hundreds of plant and animal species.
“We’re all coming together to meet the big challenge that XPRIZE has put in front of us to survey rainforests rapidly and then communicate those insights to the broader community,” said Dr Kristy Deiner, professor of environmental DNA at ETH Zurich.
XPRIZE Rainforest is a global competition aiming to enhance our understanding of rainforests by encouraging the development of technology to monitor, measure and assess the complex ecosystem.
The XPRIZE…
