Drones and
the law
DO’S & DON’TS
BBC Wildlife 47DRONES
Furtherafield,collectingDNA
samplesfromphlegmsprayedby
surfacing whales is just one of the
many ingenious uses dreamed up for
these magnificent flying machines.
But recording wildlife is the job at which
drones come into their own. Quiet and fast,
they go where there are no roads and, using
GPS, zip up and down to survey large areas
efficiently, much as a farmer ploughs a field.
Better still – compared to helicopters and
light aircraft – they are cheap, simpler to
pilot and have a low carbon footprint.Hitting our screens
The BBC’s natural history film-makers
were early adopters of this technology, and
recent series such as Earth from Space,
Equator from the Air and Seven Worlds,
One Planet incorporated extensive drone
footage to give viewers new perspectives on
by-now familiar stories. “With drones, you
can get intimate aerials, which you simply
couldn’t do with a helicopter... lovely top-
down views. You can really see the animals’
strategies,” enthuses Scott Alexander, series
producer of Seven Worlds, One Planet.“Helicopters are too noisy, the downdraft is
too much.”
Scott cites the sequence (destined to be
a future classic) of a female puma hunting
for her cubs in Chile’s Torres del Paine
National Park. “The drone lets you see the
action from above,” he says, “but we filmed
on the ground at the same time, so you can
also see the animal moving through the
undergrowth, moving through the terrain,
giving a complete overview of the hunt as
it unfolds.” Another unforgettable shoot
featured a leopard seal in Antarctica. Scott
says that their drone revealed “how the seal
would appear and disappear, and work its
way closer to the penguins it was hunting”.
Should we be uneasy about drones
buzzing like flies over the heads of
endangered species? Scott is reassuring.
“Some of the wildlife we filmed was actually
asleep!” he says. But he concedes that, flown
poorly, drones have the potential to cause
harassment, adding: “If we show unnatural
behaviour, there’s no point doing it. If youClockwise from top right: Nigel Greenstreet/Alamy; Patrick Frew; Doug Gimesy/naturepl.com (x2)
Regulation of drones in the UK has
struggled to keep pace with the surge
in usage, but the government promised
tighter controls (and more powers for
the police) in last December’s Queen’s
Speech. Currently, you don’t need to
register drones or model aircraft under
250g – for heavier models, you must buy
a £9 annual licence from the Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA) and take an online safety
test. Commercial users need a more
expensive certificate, requiring two days
of flight training, a written exam and
practical flight test. This December, a new
EU-wide certification system will bring
further changes. The CAA website also
has a comprehensive ‘drone code’, which
lists the do’s and don’ts of flying drones...Do keep your drone in
direct sight (without using
binoculars, telephoto lens or
electronic viewing equipment).Don’t fly above 120m
from the ground. Other
aircraft such as planes and
helicopters usually fly above
this altitude. You’ll need to adjust
the height of your drone for any
dips or rises in the ground level.Do make sure you have full view of the
airspace you're operating in, so you can
spot any potential hazards (in the air or
on the ground) and avoid a collision.Don’t fly where you’ll disturb
animals. You’ll also need to stay
50m away from people. This
reduces to 30m during take-o
and landing but it’s recommended
to avoid flying or hovering directly
above anyone.Don’t fly closer than 50m
to buildings, cars, trains or
boats (unless you have been given
permission by the owner to do
so). You will also need to keep a
distance of 150m from busy, built-up areas and crowds of
more than 1,000 people.Don’t fly near
airports, airfields and
other aircraft. Stay
clear of flight restriction
zones. Visit the DroneSafe
website for more details.
dronesafe.uk/restrictionsDo check if there are any restrictions
in the area you’re planning to fly your drone.
Di erent restrictions apply around events
and government sites, for example.Do visit register-drones.caa.co.uk/
drone-code for the drone code’s full
list of do’s and don’ts.Don’t let drones get
too close to wildlife,
regardless of habitat.