"Governmentalities" of Conservation Science at the Advent of Drones: Situating an Emerging Technology

Conservation scientists are looking to widen their lens on the landscapes they seek to protect. Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) fitted with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), ecologists hope to hone their abilities to account for and render visible precious wildlife and to better allocate resources for governing environments. What can a close analysis of the development of UAS tell us about conservation science itself and its relationship to GIS technologies? This article uses the example of the development of UAS by innovators at the University of Florida's Unmanned Aerial Systems Research Program (UASRP) to explore the governing rationalities undergirding growing excitement for drone technologies in conservation practice, to understand the historical continuities these novel machines embody, and to reveal a multidimensional understanding of the motivations and logics of contemporary conservation science.