Paper short abstract:

This paper questions the transformative potential of drones for environmental monitoring. Based on ethnographic research in the Amazon, it shows the limitations of drone agency in tropical conditions and raises questions about their value and impact on indigenous sovereignty.

Paper long abstract:

Drones have gained prominence as tools for environmental monitoring and conservation efforts in the Amazon, with international NGOs and funders proclaiming their emancipatory potential in enabling indigenous communities to document deforestation and contamination. However, departing from these portrayals of drones as transformative agents, this paper reframes drones as fragile, fickle, and unstable devices that perpetuate dependencies.

Drawing from ethnographic research and firsthand experience implementing a drone project to monitor oil spills in the Peruvian Amazon, the paper highlights the myriad challenges of flying drones in this environment. Oil spills, often occurring beneath dense canopy cover, defy conventional aerial surveillance methods, limiting the efficacy of drone photography. Moreover, the heat and humidity of the rainforest exacerbate technical issues, with drone batteries overheating and shutting down. Furthermore, the paper illustrates how accidental entanglements with spiders, swamps and spirits interfere and disrupt the functioning of drones, countering their supposed detachment.

Critically examining the narratives used to promote drone projects in the Amazon, including the assumed juxtaposition of indigeneity and technology, this paper questions if, and what kind of value drones can produce in such contexts, and for whom. Despite their touted emancipatory promise, the fragility of drones, coupled with their constant need for repair and replacement, ultimately undermines indigenous data sovereignty.

Through this exploration, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the agency, as well as the vulnerability, of drones. It furthermore invites critical reflection on the broader implications of the promotion of drones for indigenous territorial vigilance by external actors.