New atlas reveals
trends in British dragonfly species
A new atlas of the dragonflies of
Britain and Ireland is published today. The atlas is the result of a five year
research project by the British Dragonfly Society (BDS)
which builds on data collected over the last two centuries.
Dragonflies
are regarded as good indicators of wetland health and climate change. The new atlas shows how some species have
expanded their ranges – northwards in particular – and apparently consolidated
their previous ranges. In contrast, a few species have declined and/or
retreated northwards, perhaps also resulting from warmer temperatures.
Sir David Attenborough, the British Dragonfly Society Patron who contributed the foreword to the new atlas,
commented that the publication is “An invaluable distillation of the wisdom and
experience of those who have spent many long hours watching these most
wonderful of insects."
The
new atlas covers
the distribution of all 57 species of dragonfly recorded since records began,
including all of the resident and regular migrant species, as well as all known
vagrants - individual insects appearing well outside their normal range - up to
2012.
The
Atlas completes a mapping project that lasted from 2008 to 2012 resulting in
the gathering of nearly half a million records from over six and a half thousand
people. The new dataset has been combined with over half a million previous
records collected by dragonfly recorders since the 19th century.
The
Atlas is more than just maps and distribution. It also contains an analysis of
the trends in status of dragonflies in Britain and Ireland since 1980, and
sections on habitats, environmental factors, phenology, recording and data
collection.
The
data in the atlas show:
- Fourteen
(31%) of the 42 established breeding species have expanded their ranges,
including the Scarce Chaser and the Red-eyed Damselfly, and appear to have
benefited from a warming climate, together with a general increase in the
number and quality of wetlands.
- Eight
species (19%) have declined including the Scarce Blue-tailed
Damselfly and the White-faced Darter. The reasons for this change are not fully understood, but may
include climate change and/or habitat loss or deterioration.
- Three
species were lost from Britain in the 20th century, but one of these has
recently recolonised (the Dainty Damselfly in Kent).
- Five new
species have colonised or attempted to colonise Britain since a previous
atlas was published in 1996 including the Small Red-eyed Damselfly. Two
new species have also colonised Ireland since 1990.
- No less
than seven species have appeared in Britain and five species in Ireland
for the first time since 1990, including the Willow Emerald Damselfly.
- The most
commonly recorded species, with 115,375 records, is the Blue-tailed
Damselfly, closely followed by the Common Darter with 103,251 records.
- The most
widespread species was the Large Red Damselfly, which was found in 80% of
the hectads - 10 km x 10 km Ordnance Survey grid squares - from which
dragonflies were recorded during 1991-2012.
Steve
Cham of the British Dragonfly Society said, “On behalf of the British Dragonfly
Society, I would like to pay tribute to the huge effort made by thousands of
recorders and volunteer data collators in gathering data for the atlas.
Dragonflies have captured the imagination
of people for centuries, but we never envisaged that so many people would
contribute records. This staggering
response has enabled us to assess changes to the distribution of dragonflies
over time. We hope that this publication
will inspire people to continue to contribute to this long-term study."
Dr Helen Roy from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
leads zoological recording for the Biological Records Centre, the UK’s national
focus for terrestrial and freshwater species recording. She said, “This atlas represents inspiring contributions from many,
many volunteers across Britain and Ireland. Dragonflies are charismatic and
popular insects but they also provide an important insight into the ways in
which our environment is changing. So not only is the atlas another wonderful
example of citizen science but it is also providing valuable scientific
evidence."
The atlas was edited by Steve Cham, Brian Nelson, Adrian
Parr, Steve Prentice, Dave Smallshire and Pam Taylor, all from the BDS. The Biological Records Centre, which is part
of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, collaborated with the BDS in the
production of this atlas both through the analysis of trends and editorial
support.
The
atlas can be ordered via all good bookshops or purchased from the Field Studies
Council.
Project
partners include: Biological Records Centre at the Centre for Ecology &
Hydrology; British Dragonfly Society and its Dragonfly Recording Network;
DragonflyIreland; National Biodiversity Data Centre, Ireland; CEDaR, Belfast,
Northern Ireland; and the Manx Biological Recording Partnership.
Atlas
production was funded and supported by: the Environment Agency; Natural
Resources Wales; Scottish Natural Heritage; Natural England; the Esmée
Fairbairn Foundation; the Scottish Environment Protection Agency; and the Biological
Records Centre (co-funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (through
the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) and the Joint Nature Conservation
Committee).
The full press release can be found the link CLICK HERE or via the tab underneath the main photo towards the top of the page.
The full press release can be found the link CLICK HERE or via the tab underneath the main photo towards the top of the page.
