Sudbury 'buffer zone' bylaw could help declining dragonfly population, scientist says

In an effort to keep track of declining populations, Ducks Unlimited, a conservation group aiming to protect wetlands for waterfowl, is teaming up with iNaturalist to enlist the help of citizen scientists.

Using the iNaturalist app, people can log their dragonfly sightings, and connect with other bug watchers using the app.

The initiative is called "Project Dragonfly," and the group hopes to raise awareness of habitat destruction and push for more conservation efforts in sensitive ecosystems.

The City of Greater Sudbury is already doing its part to help a declining global dragonfly population.

In February, the city enacted a bylaw that would create a buffer zone an area of open land abutting a shoreline, maintained in a "naturally vegetated self-sustaining state" between waterways and structures.

The idea of the buffer zone is to prevent erosion and protect surface water quality, while allowing people to enjoy their properties. But the stretch of land could also have another important effect on local ecosystems protecting endangered species from a further drop in population.

In 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported that destruction of wetlands is driving the decline of dragonflies worldwide.

Of the more than 200 dragonfly species in Canada, only six are considered endangered. IUCN said last year that16 per cent of the more than 6,000 species of dragonfly and their closely related damselflyare at risk of extinctiondue to loss of freshwater habitats.

The six dragonflies on the IUCN "red list" of endangered species aren't native to northern Ontario, Jennifer Babin-Fenske, a Sudbury entomologist told CBC News. And species in Canada so far haven't been severely impacted. But that doesn't mean we're out of the woods.

"A lot of aquatic insects are considered bio indicators," Babin-Fenske said. "So that tells us that this can be kind of a red flag if their populations are going down."

Babin-Fenske, who is also the city's coordinator of EarthCare Sudbury initiatives, said any kind of change to the dragonfly's natural habitat shorelines and wetlands could affect their numbers.

"Dragonflies are one of the species that have a life stage in water," she said. "They are fully aquatic as nymph and we see them flying around as adults."

"So as aquatic insects, they are used as bio indicators when looking at water quality. Chemicals in the water or pollution and nutrients, or even changes in the flow and speed of the water can affect them."

"As adults, they're more affected by habitat loss or changes in climate like air temperature, heat waves, things like that."

In recent years, there's been a push to raise awareness of insects that can be important to the ecosystem, like butterflies and honeybees. Protecting dragonflies, however, might be a tougher sell to the public.

That's where education comes in, Babin-Fenske said.

"With bumblebees, people are starting to recognize their importance," she said. "Even though they sting, they're starting to really make them cute you know, the cute little bumblebee."

"For many, many years, that's how a lot of conservation efforts started, because someone felt there's an animal that's cute. And the public was like 'Well, we have to protect that.'"

"But with dragonflies, some people don't really see them as cute and so they might miss the importance of them."

However, the less-than-cute dragonflies also are voracious predators, Babin-Fenske said. And their prime meal is another annoying critter, the mosquito, which could sway public opinion in their favour.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, kind of thing," she said. "They're predators both as young in the water and predators outside in the air."