Earlier this month, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said that wetlands, the natural habitat of dragonflies and damselflies, would be seriously threatened .
According to experts, 16 percent of the recorded species could end up disappearing in the next few years. Or, which is the same, ⅙ of a total of 6,016 species listed. Hence, the affected groups were finally added to the red list of endangered species .
According to the Ramsar convention, between 1970 and 2015, about 35% of recorded wetlands throughout the world disappeared , which would include not only lakes and marshes, but also rivers or coastal areas.
Some areas that are actually the natural habitat of both dragonflies and damselflies. And according to Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General, “in thus highlighting the loss of the world’s dragonflies, the red list (…) underscores the urgent need to protect wetlands and the rich biodiversity they harbor.”
Oberle further warns that ” these ecosystems are disappearing three times faster than forests worldwide .” Although wetlands can often appear hostile to humans, they actually provide essential benefits.
For example, wetlands tend to store carbon, in addition to providing us with clean food and water . Not only that, they also protect us from floods. And, in addition, they are the habitat of one in ten species known worldwide.
Odonata is the scientific name for damselflies and dragonflies. And it is an excellent indicator of the health of wetlands, since these species are very sensitive to changes that occur in the environment, so they can be useful as a warning sign about what is happening in the wetlands scattered throughout all over the world.
However, as a consequence of the absence of data on several of the species that have been assessed, it would be impossible to indicate whether or not they are endangered. But experts worry that 40% of species may, in fact, be classified as threatened.
In this regard, the situation is known to be particularly bad in Southeast and South Asia, where it is estimated that more than a quarter of dragonflies are in danger, including victims of drying and clearing to make way for plantations of dragonflies. palm oil, increasingly common.
Regarding North America or Europe, pollutants and pesticides, and climate change itself, are considered the greatest threats to these insects. Although experts point out that climate change is one of the key factors , by causing droughts that end up having a devastating effect on their habitat.
The so-called Red List consists of a reference document of 142,577 species, both flora and fauna. Recently, it has surpassed the mark of 40,084 endangered species for the first time.
While it is true that some of these species appear to be recovering, and have been classified by specialists in categories as “less exposed”, a greater number are, on the contrary, even more threatened.
