Residents in Robe, South Australia, are being invited to use drones to monitor coastal erosion in a citizen-science project run with Flinders University and the District Council of Robe. ABC News Australia reported that participants will receive low-cost drones and training and will collect images monthly and after major storm events over two years.
The project is intended to increase the amount and consistency of information available about changes to beaches, cliffs and sand volumes. Graziela Miot da Silva, a Flinders University coastal geomorphologist and oceanographer, said involving community members would allow researchers to cover more coastline and a greater number of storm events.
Participants will be asked to visit the coast once a month and return after storms to document changes. Researchers will analyse the imagery and calculate changes to the shoreline and the volume of sand. The project is part of a National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy initiative aimed at improving observation of coastal erosion around Australia, ABC reported.
Robe council chief executive Nat Traeger said the community had strong interest in understanding the pace of erosion. She said the council already had a drone and conducted its own aerial imagery, but a scheduled project involving volunteers would add resources and provide more consistent information.
The need for monitoring was highlighted by the collapse of nearly 10 metres of cliffs near the Robe lighthouse in July 2025, according to the report. The obelisk is among the local points of interest considered at risk, while properties near Fox and Hoopers beaches are also a concern.
Miot da Silva said the results could help councils and coastal managers choose how to respond. Depending on the location, possible approaches could include sand replenishment, retreat or adaptation. The researchers said the model could be expanded if the pilot succeeds, and that other South Australian councils could express interest. ABC reported that a similar citizen-science approach had already been tested in Victoria.