RT Journal Article
T1 Unmanned aircraft systems as a new source of disturbance for wildlife: A systematic review
A1 Mulero-Pázmány, Margarita Cristina
A1 Jenni-Eiermann, Susanne
A1 Strebel, Nicolas
A1 Sattler, Thomas
A1 Negro, Juan-José
A1 Tablado, Zulima
K1 Aviones sin piloto
K1 Fauna
AB The use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS; also known as “drones”) for professional and personal-leisure use is increasing enormously. UAS operate at low altitudes (<500 m) and in any terrain, thus they are susceptible to interact with local fauna, generating a new type of anthropogenic disturbance that has not been systematically evaluated. To address this gap, we performed a review of the existent literature about animals’ responses to UAS flights and conducted a pooled analysis of the data to determine the probability and intensity of the disturbance, and to identify the factors influencing animals’ reactions towards the small aircraft. We found that wildlife reactions depended on both the UAS attributes (flight pattern, engine type and size of aircraft) and the characteristics of animals themselves (type of animal, life-history stage and level of aggregation). Target-oriented flight patterns, larger UAS sizes, and fuel-powered (noisier) engines evoked the strongest reactions in wildlife. Animals during the non-breeding period and in large groups were more likely to show behavioral reactions to UAS, and birds are more prone to react than other taxa. We discuss the implications of these results in the context of wildlife disturbance and suggest guidelines for conservationists, users and manufacturers to minimize the impact of UAS. In addition, we propose that the legal framework needs to be adapted so that appropriate actions can be undertaken when wildlife is negatively affected by these emergent practices.
PB Public Library of Science (PlosOne)
YR 2017
FD 2017
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/33161
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/33161
LA eng
NO Mulero-Pázmány M., Jenni-Eiermann S., Strebel N., Sattler T., Negro J.J., Tablado Z. (2017). Unmanned aircraft systems as a new source of disturbance for wildlife: A systematic review. PLoS One 12: 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178448
NO Part of this study was conducted within the Projects Aeromab, (Andalusia Government, Project for Excellence, 2007, P07-RNM-03246) and Planet (European Commission 7th FP Grant Agreement 257649) granted to JJN, Doñana Biological Station, CSIC. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 19 ene 2026