Zoning the Fire-Risk in Protected Areas in Brazil with Drones: A Study Case for the Brasília National Park

Management of Protected Areas usually poses challenges due to extension of the area to be monitored and/or by external threats. Within the scope of the Ecodrones1, in order to collaborate with the ICMBio - environmental agency of the Brazilian government, this research aimed to test drones for zoning the areas with risk of burning in parks and natural reserves in Cerrado biome. In this research, 32 overflights were carried out in the Brasilia National Park (2017) using a multi-rotor drone (with RGB sensor). Aerial photos were mosaicated and classified according to land cover type and vegetation volume. Thus, the percentage of green and dry vegetation was estimated, in order to identify areas with greater susceptibility to burning. The methodology presented a good cost-effective, indicating the areas with highest fire-risk, and suggesting its adoption by the institutions.