Drones successfully deployed to deter geese on 1,000 hectares of grassland

10-07-2023 | Drones | News

Drone as used during the field test. - Photo: Willemijn Stolk

Learn how drones are revolutionizing the prevention of crop damage caused by geese in a comprehensive trial conducted in the Netherlands. Here are the key insights for farmers worldwide who are also facing challenges with geese.

The province of Utrecht in the Netherlands recently conducted a large-scale practical experiment to deter geese using drones on 1,000 hectares of grassland. In collaboration with Drowgoo, an innovative company focused on reducing wildlife damage through cutting-edge technology, CLM Research and Advice implemented Drowgoo’s developed goose deterrence method in the Dutch province Utrecht last summer. The results were remarkable, showcasing a decrease in goose presence, longer periods of absence, and reduced crop damage compared to the previous year.

Damaging agricultural crops

Geese have become a significant concern in the Netherlands as the major species group responsible for damaging agricultural crops. Despite ongoing efforts, the damage caused by geese continues to escalate. Consequently, the province of Utrecht sought new non-lethal methods to more effectively deter geese from specific areas. Building on successful small-scale drone applications in North Holland, Utrecht aimed to test the system on a larger scale. Drowgoo’s method utilizes sensors placed in the meadows to detect signals and filter out the specific sound produced by geese. Upon detecting substantial goose activity, drone pilots took targeted action to drive the geese out of the area.

To assess the impact of the experiment, a reference polder where no drone flights occurred was designated, enabling a comparative analysis of goose presence. The findings demonstrated the effectiveness of the drone system at the local level. After each drone flight, the geese remained absent for increasingly longer durations, requiring fewer flights over time to deter them. Additionally, there were fewer reports of crop damage in the flight polder during the summer months compared to the reference polder.

Key conclusions

It is important to note that displacement occurs when geese are deterred, and they may seek alternative foraging areas. However, the key conclusions from the research are as follows:

The number of geese in the drone test flight polder showed a decrease during the trial period, as evidenced by sensor data and goose counts, while no decrease was observed in the reference polder.
Geese were primarily active during the daytime, with minimal “positive hits” detected at night.
Shortly after a drone flight, a significant reduction in the number of geese was observed. The tranquil period persisted for several hours in the polder, indicating a decreased presence of geese. Furthermore, the geese did not appear to relocate to the reference polder.
The total number of drone flight minutes per day decreased from an average of slightly over 40 minutes to less than 20 minutes during the trial period, representing a reduction of over 50% in deterrence efforts.
There was no evidence of habituation since similar results were achieved with reduced deterrence efforts, suggesting active avoidance of the polder by the geese.
The response time, from detecting a large group of geese to initiating a flight, averaged 100 minutes. During this period, geese caused damage, indicating that the response time was deemed too long.
Once daily drone deterrence ceased, the number of geese in the test flight polder rapidly increased again. Continuity in deterrence efforts appears crucial to keeping geese out of the area.
Across the province, damage to summer grass in 2022 increased by approximately 75% compared to 2021. However, in the drone test flight polder, damage decreased by over 30% compared to the reference polder.
User experiences varied, with actively involved land users generally expressing less positivity than than those less involved.