DUST: A framework for quantifying dugong-seagrass interactions using low-cost UAVs.
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo científico |
| Lenguaje: | en |
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Marine environmental research
2026
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| _version_ | 1868266053610504192 |
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| author | Mohan, Midhun Selvam, Pandi P Stankovic, Milica Macreadie, Peter I Gorman, Daniel Karpowicz, Daria Agnieszka Hendy, Ian Watt, Michael S Ventura, Daniele Broadbent, Eben North Poursanidis, Dimitris Varsha, Varsha Doaemo, Willie Udagedara, Susantha |
| author_facet | Mohan, Midhun Selvam, Pandi P Stankovic, Milica Macreadie, Peter I Gorman, Daniel Karpowicz, Daria Agnieszka Hendy, Ian Watt, Michael S Ventura, Daniele Broadbent, Eben North Poursanidis, Dimitris Varsha, Varsha Doaemo, Willie Udagedara, Susantha Mohan, Midhun Selvam, Pandi P Stankovic, Milica Macreadie, Peter I Gorman, Daniel Karpowicz, Daria Agnieszka Hendy, Ian Watt, Michael S Ventura, Daniele Broadbent, Eben North Poursanidis, Dimitris Varsha, Varsha Doaemo, Willie Udagedara, Susantha |
| collection | PubMed - marine biology |
| contents | DUST: A framework for quantifying dugong-seagrass interactions using low-cost UAVs. Mohan, Midhun Selvam, Pandi P Stankovic, Milica Macreadie, Peter I Gorman, Daniel Karpowicz, Daria Agnieszka Hendy, Ian Watt, Michael S Ventura, Daniele Broadbent, Eben North Poursanidis, Dimitris Varsha, Varsha Doaemo, Willie Udagedara, Susantha Animals Environmental Monitoring Dugong Ecosystem Unmanned Aerial Devices Remote Sensing Technology Conservation of Natural Resources Biodiversity Seagrass ecosystems are crucial to global environmental health, food security, and provide ecosystem services such as CO sequestration, environmental buffering and biodiversity maintenance. Dugongs are large marine mammals primarily found in the Indo-Pacific region that rely on seagrass meadows as their primary food source. Their feeding activity helps maintain seagrass ecosystems. Dugong populations have been declining due to habitat loss, pollution and human activities. Despite their importance, research on dugong-seagrass interactions is limited due to the logistical challenges of traditional field methods and coarser resolution-related difficulties faced with satellite imagery. This study explores the use of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to overcome these challenges. UAVs provide high-resolution imagery and data collection in otherwise inaccessible areas, offering a more flexible, cost-effective and accurate method for monitoring seagrass extent and dugong behavior. Although there have been a few UAV-based studies exploring dugong-seagrass interactions in the past, no standard, easy-to-implement work plans are available. We propose a user-friendly, standardized approach - the Dugong UAV Seagrass Tracking (DUST) framework - for studying dugong-seagrass interactions using low-cost UAVs. Our priority is to uphold simplicity and make seagrass-dugong surveys accessible for community-based conservation projects in resource-limited regions. This framework is informed by the insights, applications, gaps and challenges identified through a review of literature and 1:1 meetings with experts in the field. By building on past and ongoing efforts, this straightforward approach aims to inform community-based marine wildlife conservation strategies and deepen our understanding of complex interactions between marine megafauna and vital coastal ecosystems. |
| format | Artículo científico |
| id | pubmed_42048713 |
| institution | PubMed |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Marine environmental research |
| record_format | pubmed |
| spellingShingle | DUST: A framework for quantifying dugong-seagrass interactions using low-cost UAVs. Mohan, Midhun Selvam, Pandi P Stankovic, Milica Macreadie, Peter I Gorman, Daniel Karpowicz, Daria Agnieszka Hendy, Ian Watt, Michael S Ventura, Daniele Broadbent, Eben North Poursanidis, Dimitris Varsha, Varsha Doaemo, Willie Udagedara, Susantha Animals Environmental Monitoring Dugong Ecosystem Unmanned Aerial Devices Remote Sensing Technology Conservation of Natural Resources Biodiversity DUST: A framework for quantifying dugong-seagrass interactions using low-cost UAVs. Mohan, Midhun Selvam, Pandi P Stankovic, Milica Macreadie, Peter I Gorman, Daniel Karpowicz, Daria Agnieszka Hendy, Ian Watt, Michael S Ventura, Daniele Broadbent, Eben North Poursanidis, Dimitris Varsha, Varsha Doaemo, Willie Udagedara, Susantha Animals Environmental Monitoring Dugong Ecosystem Unmanned Aerial Devices Remote Sensing Technology Conservation of Natural Resources Biodiversity Seagrass ecosystems are crucial to global environmental health, food security, and provide ecosystem services such as CO sequestration, environmental buffering and biodiversity maintenance. Dugongs are large marine mammals primarily found in the Indo-Pacific region that rely on seagrass meadows as their primary food source. Their feeding activity helps maintain seagrass ecosystems. Dugong populations have been declining due to habitat loss, pollution and human activities. Despite their importance, research on dugong-seagrass interactions is limited due to the logistical challenges of traditional field methods and coarser resolution-related difficulties faced with satellite imagery. This study explores the use of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to overcome these challenges. UAVs provide high-resolution imagery and data collection in otherwise inaccessible areas, offering a more flexible, cost-effective and accurate method for monitoring seagrass extent and dugong behavior. Although there have been a few UAV-based studies exploring dugong-seagrass interactions in the past, no standard, easy-to-implement work plans are available. We propose a user-friendly, standardized approach - the Dugong UAV Seagrass Tracking (DUST) framework - for studying dugong-seagrass interactions using low-cost UAVs. Our priority is to uphold simplicity and make seagrass-dugong surveys accessible for community-based conservation projects in resource-limited regions. This framework is informed by the insights, applications, gaps and challenges identified through a review of literature and 1:1 meetings with experts in the field. By building on past and ongoing efforts, this straightforward approach aims to inform community-based marine wildlife conservation strategies and deepen our understanding of complex interactions between marine megafauna and vital coastal ecosystems. |
| title | DUST: A framework for quantifying dugong-seagrass interactions using low-cost UAVs. |
| topic | Animals Environmental Monitoring Dugong Ecosystem Unmanned Aerial Devices Remote Sensing Technology Conservation of Natural Resources Biodiversity |
| url | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42048713/ |