The full-day workshop started with the participants enjoying a coffee on the sunny rooftop terrace, before getting to know each other better during the introductory presentations. The HARMONIZE experts shared updates on how the drone field campaigns were progressing, not missing the opportunity to share some spectacular drone images. Together the participants from the workshop represent a breath of research experience across Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Malaysia, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Ivory Coast. The introductions spurred a spontaneous discussion on challenges that the researchers had to overcome during their research. Some vivid examples were given, including how to deal with accidentally filming illegal activities in the area you are flying the drone in. 

Next up was a presentation on the preliminary results of a scoping review conducted by HARMONIZE on ethical practices in research, which would form the basis for the rest of the discussions. The scoping review describes current ethical research practices by investigating: 

1. How drones are currently being used in environment and health research and how researchers report on this in journal articles.
2. How communities residing in areas where drones are being used for research perceive this, looking at studies that have actively asked communities for their perspective. 
3. What ethical guidance is currently available for researchers working with drones?

This was followed by a series of exercises, where the drone experts could build and expand on the results from the scoping review, by adding their own experiences. The exercises were done in small groups, which resulted in lively discussions, of which the main points were shared through a poster summary with the whole group. 

The first exercise focused on the researcher's perspective, thinking through the whole research process from study design to sharing the results, and discussing what ethical considerations need to be taken into account during each phase. The second exercise focused specifically on community engagement, thinking through concerns the community might have and what the key communication strategies should be to ensure the community feels safe and respected. The extensive fieldwork experience of the experts led to the sharing of some great examples of how to form good relationships with communities. This covered the importance of having someone in your team who already has a link to the community. Organising hands-on educational activities and drone demonstrations in your community engagement can help increase understanding of the research activities and can open the door for community members to voice their input as well. Community members know their environment best and can often advise on the best areas to fly the drone or help interpret the resulting maps. The importance of sharing results at the end of the study, including those not directly related to the study goals but that add value to the community, was emphasised as an issue that deserves more attention in research. 

Finally, some examples of existing ethical guidelines were shared and the experts had the opportunity to comment on what they would like to see reflected more in future guidelines. This was followed by a round table reflection, where each participant could share their main takeaway of the day or highlight issues that warranted further discussion. The findings from the scoping review and the discussion from the round table event will feed into a description of best practices, drawing on the rich and unique experiences the drone experts contributed on this day!