Forest Department staff undergo training to operate drones in Coimbatore

Forest Department staff in Tamil Nadu undergo drone training for conservation and forest management under TBGPCCR in Coimbatore.

Forest Department staff from various forest divisions in Tamil Nadu are undergoing training to use drones, which had been procured under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Resilience (TBGPCCR), in Coimbatore.

Officials said the programme started on June 10 and staff from Salem, Dindigul, Tiruvannamalai, Thirupathur, Hasanur, Sathyamangalam and Dharmapuri forest divisions were undergoing the training.

A total of 20 field staff members, ranging from forest guards to anti-poaching watchers, were given training in drone handling, aerial mapping, and surveying till Thursday.

The hands-on drone training, flight simulator sessions, and theory classes were conducted by DGCA certified remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) instructor Suresh Narayanan and his team. Field-level drone handling and practical flying classes were conducted at the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFA) ground.

I. Anwardeen, Principal Conservator of Forests and Chief Project Director of TBGPCCR, said the training would equip the Forest Department staff to operate drones, which could be used at various levels of conservation and forest management.

“Drones can be used to monitor forests, fire protection, human-animal conflict management, during rescue and release of wild animals and sandalwood protection. They are good tools for mapping and monitoring. The training is to equip the force to operate them independently,” he said.

Assistant Conservator of Forests M. Senthil Kumar said experts from Skywalk Drobotics Academy by Aerdroids Technology, Coimbatore, were conducting the training, which would conclude on June 17.