DOC Trials Satellite and AI Technology to Protect Waikato Wetlands from Invasive Golden Dodder

On Wednesday 26 August 2026, details emerged regarding a new conservation trial in the Waikato region using space-based technology to protect some of Aotearoa’s most significant ecosystems. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has combined high-resolution satellite imagery with machine learning to track golden dodder (Cuscuta campestris), a pest plant threatening the Whangamarino wetland and Lake Whangape. Whangamarino is recognised as an internationally significant Ramsar wetland, but it faces persistent pressure from invasive species. To monitor these areas more effectively, DOC Technical Advisor Susan Emmitt worked with specialist contractor Fabian Döweler of Bushcraft Analytics to develop a computer model. This system uses machine learning to recognise the specific spectral signature of golden dodder within satellite images, even detecting wavelengths invisible to the human eye such as near-infrared light. According to reports from Waatea News, the project utilised six specific satellite images to train the technology. The high-resolution data provides detail finer than one square metre per pixel, allowing the team to identify small patches of the weed from orbit. This remote sensing approach provides a major advantage over traditional physical inspections, which are often slow and difficult to conduct in dense or hard-to-access wetland environments. By comparing images over time, conservation teams can now assess the effectiveness of current control programmes and identify new outbreaks more rapidly. Fabian Döweler indicated that the success of this trial suggests the technology could be scaled up to assist with invasive species detection across Aotearoa, potentially transforming how biodiversity is managed on a national level.