Dragonfly/ damselfly: India
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Western Ghats
2021-2023: a decline
Anuradha Mascarenhas, April 24, 2026: The Times of India
A survey conducted across five states found that only about 65% of known Odonata — an order of insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies — populations could be documented in the Western Ghats, flagging concerns among researchers of early indicators of deeper ecological distress.
“This study is a result of one of the most extensive Odonata surveys across Western Ghats. Our survey could recover only 65% of known Odonata fauna of the Ghats, indicating plausible loss of species and habitats,” said Dr Pankaj Koparde, a TEDx speaker and Pune-based DST (Department of Science & Technology) Young Scientist awardee Koparde, who led the first of its kind extensive survey — undertaking rigorous fieldwork across a wide range of freshwater habitats, including rivers, streams, waterfalls, ponds, lakes and dams and mapping Odonata populations across 144 sites spanning five states — has strongly urged for a need to expanding research efforts.
Koparde is an evolutionary ecologist and assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Studies at MIT World Peace University.
On the study
Conducted between February 2021 and March 2023, the scale and spread of the survey make it one of the most extensive recent efforts to assess freshwater biodiversity in the Western Ghats, a 1,600-kilometre mountain chain along India’s west coast and a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot. The study also highlights variations across states. Maharashtra, where the highest number of sites (105) were surveyed, recorded 100 species, including 12 endemic ones. Kerala, despite fewer sampled sites (14), showed a high concentration of endemic diversity with 33 endemic species among 83 recorded. Karnataka (17 sites) recorded 64 species with 6 endemics, Goa (3 sites) documented 35 species including 4 endemics, while Gujarat (5 sites) recorded 18 species with no endemic species observed.
143 species recorded
Researchers were able to document about 65% of the dragonfly and damselfly species historically recorded in the region. Over the course of the study, the team recorded 143 distinct odonate species, including 40 endemic to the Western Ghats. “Odonates are highly sensitive to environmental changes because they depend entirely on freshwater ecosystems for reproduction. As a result, they are widely regarded as ‘indicator taxa’, meaning their presence, or absence, directly reflect the ecological health of water bodies,” Dr Koparde said.
35% shortfall flagged
The concern though is the potential shortfall of nearly 35% of these ecologically critical insects. “Our study points to multiple, intensifying threats across the Western Ghats. These include linear infrastructure development, hydropower projects, severe pollution and large-scale land-use changes. Additional pressures such as unregulated tourism, recurring forest fires and the growing impact of climate change are further fragmenting and degrading these ecosystems,” Dr Koparde said. He also added the research “adds value to current literature, fills an important gap, and lays the foundation for prioritising Odonata-rich areas for conservation.”
The study was also conducted with Arajush Payra (PhD Scholar, MIT-WPU Pune), Amey Deshpande (MSc Student, MIT-WPU Pune) and Reji Chandran (Society for Odonate Studies, Kerala).
