Dragonflies help monitor our fresh water sources

26 July 2016 - 20:46 By Tanya Farber

If ever you thought dragonflies – which have been around for 325 million years – are white elephants with no purpose in the modern world‚ think again.A local book‚ hot off the press‚ shows how watching these iridescent and mysterious creatures can help monitor the country’s water levels in dams and rivers.The book‚ which comes out of the University of Stellenbosch‚ is called The Manual of Freshwater Assessment for South Africa: Dragonfly Biotic Index.At 224 pages‚ it is rather fat‚ but is full of magnificent pictures of dragonflies and was written and compiled by Professor Michael Samways‚ from the university’s Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology‚ and water ecologist Dr John Simaika‚ a research fellow in the Department of Soil Science.“Using dragonflies in freshwater assessments is so simple‚ because they are relatively easy to identify‚” says Samways. “All you need is a good guide‚ a pair of close-focus binoculars‚ and a sunny day.”While doing research for the book‚ Samways and Simaika also came across new species as well as older ones thought to be extinct.The current total number of species in South Africa now is 162‚ and they are assisting conservationists‚ water managers and farmers to keep an eye on our fresh water sources.The manual can also be used as a field guide to locate and identify dragonfly specie and‚ says Simaika‚ “Books such as this one are a great starting point for getting people to care about something. If only one in ten readers were to think more deeply about freshwater conservation‚ then we will have done a good job.”It is available as a book or on CD‚ and will be free to download soon.Fact box:162 species of dragonflies have so far been recorded in South Africa.Of these‚ one in every five is endemic and found nowhere else in the world.Most South African species prefer full sunlight conditions.Alien plants and pollution are among the threats posed to our local species...

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