Paramotor flights revolutionize South American desert conservation

Scientists studying South America’s fragile desert ecosystems are pioneering a new conservation method: motorized paragliding. Instead of relying on off-road vehicles, they’re flying paramotors to study hard-to-reach fog oases, reducing their ecological footprint while collecting crucial data on threatened plant species.

Humberto Basilio reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

• South America’s desert ecosystems, from Peru’s coast to Patagonia, have suffered from off-road racing, damaging delicate landscapes and rare plant habitats.
• Scientists, including Alfonso Orellana Garcia, are using paramotors for research, significantly lessening land impact compared to traditional vehicles.
• The team has gathered samples of tillandsia plants, enabling analysis of how rising temperatures impact these fog-dependent ecosystems.

Key quote:

“They’re almost 10,000 times less invasive than a car.”

— Justin Moat, geographer, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, in England

Why this matters:

This method of study allows research teams to glide over sensitive ecosystems like the coastal deserts of Peru or Patagonia’s rocky reaches without disturbing the land beneath. By finding ways to study deserts without harming them, scientists are protecting vulnerable biodiversity. Such an approach could inspire other low-impact research methods in fragile ecosystems worldwide. Read more: Planting a million trees in the semi-arid desert to combat climate change.