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Deep diveROBOTICS

Ecological Monitoring Drone Swarm SkyGuard Deep Dive: 50 Autonomous Drones Weave Anti-Illegal-Logging Net Over the Amazon

Brazils INPE and Airbus deploy 50 autonomous drones in the Amazon rainforest under the SkyGuard program, using thermal imaging, LiDAR, and acoustic sensors for 24-hour illegal logging monitoring, cutting response time from 48 hours to 2 hours.

Brazils National Institute for Space Research and Airbus Defence officially put the SkyGuard ecological monitoring drone swarm into operation over the Amazon rainforest in late October. Fifty solar-powered fixed-wing drones form a continuous patrol network in designated airspace, covering approximately 20,000 square kilometers.

SkyGuard carries three complementary sensor types: thermal imaging cameras to detect heat signatures from logging machinery and transport vehicles; LiDAR to monitor abnormal changes in canopy height with precision down to individual trees; and acoustic sensor arrays to identify characteristic sound signatures of chainsaws and logging trucks.

INPE researcher Ana Oliveira explained that when any sensor detects suspicious activity, the system automatically calculates target coordinates and dispatches the nearest rotary-wing drone for close-range reconnaissance. Average time from detection to confirmation is 2 hours, compared to 48 hours with the previous reliance on satellite imagery and ground patrols.

During the three-month trial operation, SkyGuard helped Brazilian environmental enforcement agencies intercept 37 illegal logging incidents, seizing approximately 1,200 cubic meters of timber. Deforested area decreased 64% year-over-year.

The SkyGuard project received joint funding from the Amazon Fund and the EU Global Gateway program, totaling approximately 45 million euros. Airbus plans to extend the system to the Congo Basin and Southeast Asian tropical rainforests.

However, SkyGuard faces resistance from local logging interests. Two drones have been shot at during missions. INPE stated it is adding ballistic coatings and autonomous evasion flight paths to subsequent drone batches.