Dragonfly survey in Kerala sanctuary

Malabar Natural History Society, a non-profit organisation dedicated to biodiversity conservation and research, will conduct a three-day long dragonfly survey in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary from May 30.
A second such exercise being conducted in the state, the "Dragonfly Survey" is envisaged to count the exact number of odonates in the sanctuary, spread over 344.44 sq km, which has a rich collection of flora and fauna.
Sprawling meadows inside Wayanad sanctuary are abodes of different varieties of dragonflies.
"At present, there are no authentic study reports on the dragonfly varieties in the sanctuary. The dearth of experts specialising on odonate studies is another worrying factor," MNHS secretary Dr Jafar Palot told PTI.

He said participants would be asked to take photos of the dragonflies on the first day. The photos would be analysed on the final day and a report would be prepared based on them.
The survey would be conducted with the support of state Forest Department, he added.
In 2012, a similar survey was conducted in the Shenduruny wildlife sanctuary in Kollam district in which 67 varieties of dragonflies were indexed.
There are more than 150 varieties of dragonflies in the state.