Using drone technology for more efficient rehabilitation

Thiess Rehabilitation is leveraging technology to deliver efficient and innovative mine rehabilitation campaigns, and providing assurance to clients, regulators and other stakeholders that the rehabilitation is being constructed to specification.

During November 2023, Thiess Rehabilitation employed a DJI Agricultural drone at the Ensham Rehabilitation Project to complete aerial seeding of prepared rehabilitation areas totalling approximately 130 hectares. Drones can seed 40-60 hectares per day in ideal conditions, much more efficient than traditional seeding methods that employ heavy agricultural equipment and usually seed approximately 20 hectares per day.
Additional benefits of drone seeding include:
• accurate reporting of seeded areas with GPS flight paths used to map progress
• reduced risk of erosion and distribution of weed species, and improved retention of topsoil integrity due to reduced vehicular traffic
• better access to remote areas and steep slopes
• continued operation in wet weather.