A growing number of drones fly the skies for conservation and land rights organizations, but if used inappropriately can harm more than help the people and wildlife they aim to protect. In response to this, a consortium of natural and social scientists from the University of Bristol and other research centers recently published a set of guidelines for environmental organizations that use drones.

Many conservation purposes have adopted this technology in recent decades, and since the 2010s drones have become an effective and accessible tool for local communities and Indigenous people to detect those who illegally encroach on their land, to protect land tenure, and other uses. But if used wrong this technology also can annoy or even scare people. As the guidelines mention, just the buzzing noise of drones can be a nuisance.

“From concerns about surveillance and privacy to those around safety and misuse, it’s important to recognize that the sight and sounds of drones can provoke anxiety and fear, as well as excitement and curiosity,” said Anna Jackman, a Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Reading, and one of the authors of the guidelines.

Releasing drone footage with people who can be identified from the images can also lead to unintended consequences, such as by reinforcing prejudices of what type of person commits crimes.