Scientist from Kew Gardens explore the potential of paramotoring as a means of aiding research and conservation efforts in some of the most fragile and challenging parts of the globe.

In the paper published yesterday (24 September), it outlines the results of an expedition to the coastal fog deserts of Peru, where Kew scientists, with the support of a National Geographic Explorers grant, teamed up with professional paramotorists to explore and collect plants in areas where humans have yet to collect and survey plants.

Titled 'Plants, People, Planet,' the research paper saw scientists from Kew, Huarango Nature and paramotorists from Forest Air highlight how the method is a faster and more environmentally friendly alternative to 4x4 off-road vehicles.

The research was brought forward after scientists asked themselves what happens when they were unable to reach certain locations, or the time-saving benefits offered by off-road vehicles are overshadowed by the huge impact they can have on the environment.

(Left to right) Paramotorist Márcio Aita Júnior, Botanists Oliver Whaley & Alfonso Orellana-Garcia (credit: Mike Campbell-Jones).

This was the dilemma during a 2022 expedition to Peru's fog oasis desert led by a team from RBG Kew in partnership with the Peruvian conservation group Huarango Nature and funded by the National Geographic Society. Fog oases are a rare and unique island-like ecosystem in South America that stretch some 3,000 km along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile.

With virtually no rainfall to speak of, the desert's many endemic species of plants have adapted to the harsh conditions by relying on moisture from the fog sweeping in from the Pacific.

Known as 'lomas' in Peru or 'oasis de niebla' in Chile, these ecosystems are home to over 1,700 plant species and are extremely vulnerable to climate change and human activities.

Kew scientists have been studying them for almost a century and yet they remain incredibly hard to map and, in some areas, only flourish once every decade.

Dr Carolina Tovar, Research Leader - Spatial Analysis and Data Science, at RBG Kew, says: "The lomas are incredibly unique and beautiful ecosystems that are sustained by seasonal fogs rolling in from the Pacific. Each year, they witness a spectacular transformation when the bare desert landscape flowers during the lomas season.

"But despite being centres of plant endemism, hosting crop wild relatives and medicinal plants, there is still so much we don't know about their ecology, which is fundamental for developing conservation efforts."

Márcio Aita Júnior over crescent dunes (credit: Mike Campbell-Jones).

Kew Gardens explain that accessing the desert fog lomas can be highly problematic, as off-road vehicles cause surface damage, destroying fragile ephemeral habitats, increasing erosion, and leaving tyre marks that will linger for potentially hundreds of years.

Furthermore, reaching unexplored habitats leaves new tyre tracks that are invariably followed by off-road thrill seekers or the lost SUV enthusiast, that then destroy the destination habitat.

To study the feasibility of working around this problem, Kew's scientists partnered with the French nonprofit Forest Air and the Brazilian paramotor team Aita (Escola Nacional De Paramotor). The paramotorist team consisted of three pilots and one ground crew engineer.

The paramotorists were trained by Kew and Huarango Nature scientists on how to identify target plant species and how to collect, georeference and preserve them for taxonomic study.

Márcio Aita Júnior, Director AITA Escola Nacional de Paramotor, comments: "This was a unique experience that will never be forgotten, helping me understand a little about botany and lomas and their role in society, also it helped me to understand plant studies and their importance to the discovery of new medicines and food for the next generation.

"I was absorbed by the information, drawing me into local culture, and with certainty this experience changed my perception of the world and the importance of preserving nature as a whole."

The expedition budget allowed for seven intensive days in November 2022, during which scientists covered 300 miles by land and air. They surveyed over 15,000 hectares, focusing on the 'Tillandsiales' habitat, dominated by Tillandsia species from the Bromeliaceae family. These species, covering large areas of Peru's hyperarid desert, are poorly researched as their unique leaf surfaces diffract light, making them difficult to track via satellite.

Mike Campbell-Jones, Forest Air president and co-founder, says: 'It was simply wonderful to bring the scientists and the pilots together, to put theory into practice and finally (after many FA covid cancellations), have the chance to prove the combination for what it truly is – a valuable new tool for science and the many important tasks ahead.

'As a pilot, with many years' experience, flying and directing competitions around the world, I must say, I have never been so motivated on a mission task or learned as much about our planet as seeing one of its most fragile ecosystems through the eyes of a scientist. The flights we made on this expedition as the Forest Air team were the most memorable of my long and colourful life.'

This 'extreme sport' offers an environmentally friendly alternative to off-road vehicles to explore fragile ecosystems and biodiversity (credit: Jean Capcha Ramos).

Scientists aimed to compare paramotoring with ground surveys across typical plant monitoring activities. Objectives included assessing desert surface damage, using reconnaissance flights to locate plant populations, monitoring threats and human activity, conducting aerial photography, and collecting plant specimens.

Kew say paramotorists flew two missions up to 28 km, the longest lasting just over two hours. On average, they completed tasks 4.5 times faster than ground teams, with longer missions estimated to be up to 10 times faster.

Dr Justin Moat, Senior Research Leader at RBG Kew and National Geographic Explorer, says: "This study was a unique and exciting experience for everyone involved; for many years we have attempted to reach some suspected large areas of endemic vegetation in the Peruvian desert, but found it very difficult to access without major damage to the desert surface using 4x4s, due to the harsh desert conditions and soft shifting sands.

"To overcome this challenge, we would have had to mount a major expedition, probably lasting weeks. Meanwhile, the paramotorists had flown great distances and returned with plant specimens and aerial photographic evidence of the vegetation within the space of two hours."

The reserve, which is home to many rare and threatened native species, has been mostly untouched by human activity, but recent years have seen the encroachment of urban development, off-road driving, windfarms and mining.

It is now protected with an official Concession for Conservation. Even so, only four per cent of the lomas across Peru and Chile are presently under protection.

This unique site will now be managed by Huarango Nature in partnership with Kew and local communities and organisations, including the Peru National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).