Tommy Hall @ Island Conservation – Drone Innovation RFP

Join Chris Bley and Tommy Hall of Island Conservation discussing the new Drone Innovation RFP currently out from Island Conservation to address invasive rats on remote islands.

Island Conservation is releasing a request for proposals for a heavy-lift drone with advanced capabilities to improve technology and methodology for the removal of invasive rats from the Ulong Island group in Palau’s Rock Island Southern Lagoon.

Contact: Emily Heber, Island Conservation, emily.heber@islandconservation.org, +1 (661) 332-1652
Resources: Drone Request For ProposalsPhotos and B-roll, Interviews available

Released: July 1st, 2020 at 9am PST

Island Conservation announces their request for proposals (RFP) for a drones-for-conservation breakthrough. Island Conservation and our partners are seeking proposals for the development and operation of a heavy-lift drone and bait dispersal system with capabilities including lifting at least 25kg (55lbs), aerial mapping, and autonomous terrain-following for precision distribution. These advancements are necessary to remove damaging, invasive rats from the steep rocky terrain, complex coastline, and dense forests of the Ulong Islands, Palau, in early 2022. Additionally, similar advancements are already being pursued by come drone developers for their have potential applications for other markets such as agriculture and firefighting.

Innovation and increasing accessibility to technology are transforming our world and the ways in which we conserve and sustain it. As leaders in invasive species eradication, Island Conservation has spent the past 26 years developing, implementing, adapting, and refining the processes and methods necessary to protect endangered island wildlife and benefit island communities. Today, Island Conservation is partnering with Palau’s Koror State Government Department of Conservation and Law Enforcement (DCLE) to use drones to remove invasive rats from the Ulong Islands. Restoration of Ulong will protect the islands’ native terrestrial species and nearshore marine ecosystems, as well as the community’s cultural heritage, livelihoods, and food security.