THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s time to spot dragonflies in your backyard. WWF India, Kerala, in association with the Society for Odonate Studies (SOS) and state level-digital partner of the dragonfly fest ‘Thumbipuranam’, is organising a backyard odonata watch.
All one needs to do is step into one’s backyard, spot the dragonflies and damselflies and share their pictures online. Capture images of them resting, feeding or flying near water bodies and be a part of a scientific movement to conserve them. The event is being organised on Sunday as part of the ongoing National Dragonfly Festival 2021.
“Dragonflies and damselflies are threatened by the degradation and destruction of their habitats, mainly by humans. So it is primarily our responsibility to reverse this. Dragonfly Festival Bioblitz provides you the opportunity to observe dragonflies and damselflies in their natural habitat, know them more, understand their values and protect them and their habitats to ensure our sustenance too,” said Renjan Mathew Varghese, state director (Kerala), WWF India.
The images need to be shared on the online Dragonfly Festival 2021 portals at either iNaturalist, India Biodiversity Portal or on the Facebook page ‘Dragonflies of Kerala’. One should use the hashtag #thumbi2021 and thereby earns a chance to contribute to the Citizen Science initiative. The information thus generated will be used by experts to make the list of odonates seen in our surroundings and analyse and come out with various findings, which will ultimately help their conservation.
“Dragonflies and damselflies are fascinating creatures. They are good indicators of the health of the ecosystem. The festival raises awareness and celebrates the importance of these lesser-known but vital components of various ecosystems in our planet,” says Sivakumar A K, senior education officer, WWF. Due to the pandemic, all the programmes are being held online.