Potential of aerial vehicles without pilot in detection of illegal human activities in the protected area of Congo Democratic Republic

The recent advent of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in natural resource management opens new opportunities to help protected area managers fighting against various human pressures. The Falcon UAV was used for 15 missions to help detect human activities in Garamba National Park and its surrounding game reserves (Gangala na Bodio, Mondo Missa) in the North-Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A Sony Block camera coupled with a Tamarisk thermal camera was used to record videos, whereas photos were acquired with a Sony Nex7 digital camera. Tests showed that it was possible to detect precise objects using the Falcon UAV. Houses, fields, bare ground patches, burned areas, roads and tracks were easily detectable and identified in the videos at a flight altitude of up to 250 m AGL. Artisanal gold mining sites (size <= 0.21 ha) are also recognizable on the video and still images. Improvements are needed, notably in photo overlap and georeferencing, but the system shows great potential to ensure detection and continuous surveillance of human activities within protected areas.