Recently, there have been many headlines in the media about saving wetlands. This is because wetlands perform many important functions, but they have disappeared extensively over the past centuries to make way for agriculture and forestry. This has led to large annual carbon dioxide emissions. Wetlands also provide ecosystem services such as preventing both drought and flooding due to climate change, thanks to their ability to balance water flows. The design of wetlands allows them to act as natural water purifiers, which can prevent eutrophication in other water bodies. Wetlands are home to hundreds of red-listed species and are vital for preserving biological diversity.

To protect wetlands, research and monitoring are currently conducted, where a large part of the work involves collecting data about the wetlands. Data collection is done manually today, with researchers, for example, wading into the wetlands to take samples. This entails a number of inefficiencies. It involves a safety risk to wade in wetlands, requiring several people to work in the field simultaneously. This results in many working hours for only a few data points, making the process costly. The difficult terrain means that the collection is based on only a few data points, resulting in incomplete data sets and complicating the work of preserving wetlands.

The purpose of this thesis has therefore been to come up with a solution to streamline data collection in wetlands so that better measures can be taken for their preservation, allowing them to continue fulfilling their important functions. The project presents a concept for an autonomous robotic platform that traverses wetlands and uses sensors to collect extensive data across the entire wetland. This can create data sets that can be used by decision-makers. Instead of wading into wetlands, a researcher can safely stand on solid ground and see the data being collected on a screen. A prototype is built to verify the propulsion system and enables the implementation of sensors in a further development of the project. The project identifies various business opportunities aimed at researchers and conservationists, but also at companies interested in taking social responsibility.