Wetland environments in Australia are often remote and inaccessible. They are also spatially heterogeneous and have high habitat complexity. In northern Australia, the inaccessibility is compounded by strong seasonality with widespread flooding during the wet season. The use of optical satellite imagery for monitoring tropical wetlands is limited due to the highly seasonal environment characterised by a wet season dominated by ubiquitous cloud cover and a dry season dominated by atmospheric smoke resultant from wildfires. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly known as ‘drones’, enable very high resolution imagery of wetlands to be captured which are not restricted by the same limitations as those of satellite imagery. There is unprecedented flexibility and cost effectiveness in obtaining high resolution imagery through the use of a UAS as they can be readily deployed when conditions are optimal.
This paper presents the results of a test flight over part of the Magela Creek floodplain, located in Kakadu National Park, and Buffalo Billabong (located downstream of the Ranger Uranium Mine). Both standard red, green, blue, and near infrared imagery were captured in October 2013 at a spatial resolution of .The results indicate that the data can be used for many applications including detailed vegetation community mapping, weed identification, animal usage of habitat (through detection of tracks) and population surveys (e.g. waterbirds). The imagery may also be used to survey creeks and riparian zones in a way not previously available.