CRIFORA OG, a partnership between UMGEODAT Gbr and Grüne Umwelt, embarked on a mission to protect the European Hamster, a species under threat due to habitat disruption in agricultural regions. Coexisting with field mice often considered pests, the European Hamster faces unintentional harm from agricultural activities, as farmers lack the means to differentiate their burrows. This project aimed to address this critical challenge by leveraging advanced LiDAR technology to map hamster burrows across expansive agricultural fields with minimal environmental impact.

The Acecore Noa drone equipped with the YellowScan Voyager LiDAR system offered an innovative solution, enabling precise detection of burrows hidden under vegetation. The surveys provided critical data, including the size, depth, and exact location of hamster burrows, without disturbing the local ecosystem. By using high-density point clouds, CRIFORA OG could count and measure burrows, empowering conservation efforts and raising awareness among farmers to mitigate unintentional harm.