Freshwater biodiversity is of immense importance, but it remains largely hidden beneath the surface. Fortunately, dragonflies and damselflies bridge this gap—their larvae live underwater, while their large, colorful, and easily observable adults fly above it. This makes dragonflies and damselflies the perfect species group both to study freshwater biodiversity on a global scale as well as communicating the need for conservation.
Nearly all of the 6000+ dragonflies and damselflies have been assessed for the IUCN red list based on which we have a reasonable overview of where species and their habitats are threatened. However, many of these assessments are outdated or rely on historical records that lack recent fieldwork. As co-chair of the IUCN Dragonfly Specialist Group, I work to stimulate fieldwork in priority areas, update Red List assessments, and coordinate data interpretation and analysis to guide global conservation efforts.