• Video

Rocky reefs after the Kaikōura quake: monitoring and recovery

This short film (1m30s) summarises research on monitoring kelp and seaweed biodiversity of coastal marine ecosystems with drones.

Drones have great potential for monitoring habitats that are difficult to reach or cover large areas.

Leigh Tait (NIWA) assessed whether standard (RGB) and specialised cameras (multispectral) can accurately distinguish natural coastal habitats, and the efficiency and limitations of this technology.

The research is particularly relevant to people working in marine management, monitoring, conservation or related science fields.