Search giant Google has given the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) $5 million to expand its conservation drone programme, in a bid to help fight poaching in Africa and Asia.

The programme plans to use drones, also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to scan large areas for poachers in wildlife parks and at borders of four unnamed sites in Africa and Asia.

The drones collect data and then they send their observations back to law-enforcement units, which can then intervene if poachers are threatening animals.

According to a report by the Atlantic.com, the money was awarded as part of the first round of Google's ‘Global Giving Awards’.

The money is also expected to go towards a tagging system and analytical software to help rangers monitor wildlife and illegal logging across vast areas.

Poaching has increased dramatically from 2007, as a growing affluent class in China, Vietnam and Thailand began spending more on rhino horn as a traditional medicine.

In December 2012 the South African Department of Environmental Affairs reported a total of 663 rhinos killed by poachers in the country, surpassing the 448 killed in all of 2011.

395 rhinos were killed at the Kruger National Park alone.

Some reports have shown that up to three rhinos were killed per week in South Africa last year.