In the Meetjeslands Krekengebied, farmland, creeks, grasslands, arable fields and reedbeds create a landscape used by many different bird species.
It is here that FARMBIRD partner Regional Landscape Meetjesland & Leievallei (RLML) will put new monitoring approaches into practice.
RLML has more than twenty years of experience working with local communities, farmers, volunteers and public authorities on landscape and species conservation in Flanders. Its existing work already includes monitoring nests with infrared drones for species such as the Black-tailed Godwit, Northern Lapwing, Oystercatcher and Western Marsh Harrier.
Within FARMBIRD, RLML will use infrared drones to monitor birds and locate nests and chicks. Compared with searching on foot, drones can allow faster surveying with less crop damage and disturbance.
The monitoring will help researchers understand nesting success and predation and improve methods for locating and protecting nests. Sound recording systems will also be installed to learn more about how birds use the habitat and how this relates to predation and other disturbances.
Agriculture is part of the picture too. RLML will look at the relationship between farming activities and nesting success, working with farmers as partners in the landscape.
The lessons will be shared with other FARMBIRD regions and used to improve practical protocols for drone-based monitoring.
RLML also has an important role in involving people. Farmers, volunteers and citizens will receive training and opportunities to participate. One ambition is simple and practical: when farmers encounter birds or nests while working their land, they should know what they are seeing and what they can do.
By connecting technology with local knowledge and a strong regional network, RLML makes the FARMBIRD approach tangible on the ground.
We Fly Together.