Rangelands NRM is looking at options for Hillview Station owners Darren and Kim Cousens to adapt to drought and other climate impacts by exploring and applying new technology and practices, such as increased use of satellite imagery to better track feed availability and quality, and using drones to assess total grazing pressure.
Building on learnings from a similar drone survey in 2022, Rangelands NRM recently visited Hillview Station, southeast of Meekatharra, to conduct drone transect surveys to detect kangaroos and wallabies. The survey demonstrated the effectiveness of remotely piloted aircraft in collecting accurate and comprehensive data and provided a preliminary evaluation of grazing pressures exerted by macropods at select locations on Hillview Station.
The work aims to equip pastoralists with the tools to assess the numbers of non-domestic herbivores more easily, and to inform understanding of the impact of macropods on the local ecology
