There’s a small, sandy island off the coast of Cairns, on the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia – and it’s situated on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. It also happens to be the world’s largest green turtle breeding ground.

Researchers estimate that nearly 60,000 female turtles migrate to Raine Island every year to lay their eggs.

But until recently, no one could get a good count of the population.

Counting while on a boat just wasn’t efficient and disturbed the animals.

The turtle population is in decline, so it’s important to get a good look at each year’s turtle hatch.

And in 2019, researchers found the perfect method to get an accurate count – the use of drones.

Dr. Andrew Dunstan from the Department of Environment and Science (DES) said drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), are now considered “the most efficient survey method.”

“Underwater video using a Go-Pro may also be a useful alternative for in-water surveys of turtles.”

Prior to this, survey methods were laborious and less-than-accurate.

“Previous population survey methods involved painting a white stripe down the green turtles’ shell when they were nesting on the beach. The paint is non-toxic and washes off in a couple of days. From a small boat, we then counted painted and non-painted turtles, but eyes are attracted much more to a turtle with a bright white stripe than an unpainted turtle, resulting in biased counts and reduced accuracy,” said Dunstan in a press release.

The use of drones is easier, safer, and more accurate, and the footage can be easily stored.

It also provides footage of the likes the no one has ever seen before – and it’s stunning! A bird’s eye view of nature.

In previous years, the painted turtles were counted as they nested on the beach.

But being able to count them right after they hatch will give researchers some idea of how many are born vs. how many survive their maiden voyage to land as well.

Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director Anna Marsden is thrilled that the researchers are being aided by this new technology. It’s all in the service of protecting and restoring this crucial green turtle habitat (which houses other life as well).

“We’re taking action to improve and rebuild the island’s nesting beaches and building fences to prevent turtle deaths, all working to strengthen the island’s resilience and ensure the survival of our northern green turtles and many other species,” Marsden said in a press release.

When we think of drones we certainly don’t think of wildlife conservation but it’s one of the many peaceful uses for this technology.

The researchers are hoping that not only will the more accurate data help them understand and manage the green turtle population better but that in the future they will be able to have a machine learning system (AI) do the counting for them using the drone footage.

That would certainly free up more time to work on the sustainability portion of the project.

If you want to see some of the incredible footage, scroll down below for a video posted to Twitter by the Queensland government.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

This is some of the most spectacular vision you will ever see – our new eye in the sky has captured 64,000 turtles off the coast of Raine Island, north-west of Cairns.

More: https://t.co/76WPkfoRSG pic.twitter.com/HC7tZjVbZV

— Queensland Environment (@QldEnvironment) June 9, 2020

Source: Bored Panda, @QldEnvironment via Twitter, Queensland Department of Environment and Science Press Release, Raine Island Recovery Project