Drones, Artificial Intelligence, and a New Era in Wildlife Management

DroneWild founders, Katie & Ben Harrower

Welcome to DroneWild – where cutting-edge drone technology meets intelligent software to transform the future of wildlife management. In this first blog post, we’re excited to share the story behind DroneWild: how it began, the journey so far, and our vision for revolutionising wildlife monitoring and conservation.

Our Origins

Born out of our successful participation in the CivTech Challenge 9.3, sponsored by Forestry & Land Scotland, DroneWild is the evolution of years of field experience, innovation, and a new vision for the future of wildlife management.

In June 2023, the Scottish Government’s CivTech programme launched a new series of challenges to tackle complex public sector problems through innovative solutions. One such challenge came from Forestry & Land Scotland, who sought a system to help Wildlife Rangers "identify the exact location of every animal larger than 5 kilograms in a specified area in real-time."

This wasn’t just a technical challenge, it was a call for a more efficient, accurate, and minimally disruptive way to survey wildlife populations. Traditional ground-based methods often fall short. Deer, for instance, are notoriously elusive, often detecting human presence long before they’re seen, especially in thick woodland or hilly terrain. We knew drones could change that.

Aerial Innovation from the Ground Up

The core idea for our CivTech solution came from years of experience in wildlife survey work, especially with deer. Ben and Katie Harrower, the co-founders of DroneWild, had already been pioneering the use of thermal drones through their original venture, BH Wildlife Consultancy (BHWC). Since 2018, BHWC has grown into a respected wildlife survey organisation, conducting landscape-scale drone operations across the UK and Europe, surveying species ranging from feral goats to wildcats (and even the famous Macaque monkey: Honshu).

These operations provided us with a robust methodology: how to fly, locate, and map animals quickly and reliably, without causing unnecessary stress or disturbance. We’d proven that drones equipped with thermal sensors and paired with the right workflows could generate highly accurate wildlife population data at scale.

As drone hardware evolved - for example, with the emergence of lighter, more capable platforms like the DJI Matrice 4T - we saw a chance to take our proven systems and make them portable, cost-effective, and practical for everyday field use. This became the foundation of our CivTech proposal.

The drones we use are lightweight and powerful, offering thermal sensors, optical zoom, and long battery life. An operator can carry the drone, controller, and multiple batteries in their person, and we’ve developed our own custom carriage systems to support longer days in remote terrain.

But hardware is only half the story.

Alongside our drone platform, we developed intelligent mapping software enhanced with machine learning. We have been developing a software development kit that integrates with the drone’s UI and a machine learning model that is able to detect wildlife with incredible accuracy.

Developing field-ready software, through our sister company BH Wildlife Consultancy

The CivTech Experience

Participating in CivTech wasn’t just about building a product; it was about refining our vision. Through consultation stages, stakeholder feedback, and milestone reviews, DroneWild evolved from a field-tested idea into a scalable solution. The process deepened our understanding of what rangers need, what the tech must deliver, and how to ensure the system is intuitive and reliable in the field.

We are now working closely with Forestry & Land Scotland and rolling out training and field trials with their Wildlife Ranger team. We’re monitoring these trials closely, continually refining the system based on real-world feedback and performance. Our goal is simple: deliver measurable, positive outcomes for wildlife management and ecological restoration.

Presenting at the CivTech launch event.

Looking Ahead

This is just the beginning. The potential applications for DroneWild’s platform extend Scotland. As global attention focuses on conservation, rewilding, and biodiversity, our tools can help agencies and land managers make faster, smarter, and more sustainable decisions.

We’re exploring new AI integrations to further enhance accuracy in species identification. We’re expanding our training programme to empower organisations to operate independently. And we’re constantly testing new hardware to keep our systems rugged, reliable, and ready for the wild.

At DroneWild, we believe in harnessing technology for the benefit of our most valued habitats around the world. Join us in our mission to transform wildlife management for the future.