High-Flying Helpers

Drones—originally created as tools of war—are now performing important humanitarian and conservation tasks around the world.

Saving Lives Delivering medical supplies to hard-to-reach places has been an issue for years. Worldwide, more than two billion people lack access to essential life-saving supplies, such as blood and vaccines. In the African nation of Rwanda, for example, several remote health clinics do not have sufficient quantities of blood and other healthcare products. As a result, many people die of treatable illnesses. A company called Zipline is trying to address this problem. It uses drones to transport medical supplies around Rwanda. In the past, it took hours for packages of medicines to reach some health clinics. However, a drone can now deliver medicine in 30 minutes.

Thanks to this rapid healthcare service, fewer women suffer during childbirth and more children receive life-saving medicine. Drones are also assisting emergency organizations after natural disasters. In 2015, for example, a powerful cyclone destroyed thousands of buildings in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Around 75,000 people lost their homes, and at least 15 died. After the storm, drones photographed the damage. These surveys helped emergency workers assess the situation quickly and answer important questions: Which areas were hardest hit? Were crops damaged? What roads were affected? Emergency workers used the data to create a detailed map of the affected area. They were then able to transport aid to the people who needed it most.

Eyes in the Sky Drones are also helping to protect vulnerable wildlife populations in parts of Africa and Asia. Every year, poachers kill thousands of elephants, rhinos, and other endangered animals. To stop them, the environmental organization World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is using drones. "Drones help us see things we can't," says Colby Loucks, who works for the WWF. For example, they can show where poachers are hiding and if they are carrying weapons. Drones are particularly helpful at night, when poachers tend to be most active. Fitted with infrared video cameras, drones can easily identify people and animals in the dark. These drones are not only helpful, they are affordable. Drones with infrared cameras cost about $20,000 each—a fraction of the cost of other high-tech tools.

As well as finding poachers, drones can be used to track animals. Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University plan to employ drones for an ambitious conservation project: documenting the world's wildlife. The long-term project will start with scientific surveys of animal populations. As the project expands, members of the public will be able to contribute by uploading their own drone footage. Animal species can then be identified using special software. The project leader, biologist Serge Wich, predicts that drones—cheaper, more practical, and less dangerous than planes or helicopters— will become a widely used conservation tool.

"I think we will have swarms of drones flying over forests," he predicts. Ironically, a tool originally created for military use is increasingly being used to save lives instead of taking them. Drones have the potential to provide solutions that will benefit both humans and animals, says photographer and environmentalist Kike Calvo. "There's nothing that can replace a good scientist," he says. But with the help of drones, "researchers are empowered to carry out projects they've never imagined before."