Dragonflies and damselflies are ancient, spectacular insects that spend most of their lives as aquatic larvae. Their welfare and conservation depend on freshwater habitat quality across Britain and Europe.
Dragonfly welfare at the individual level is uncertain but their complex nervous systems and predatory learning suggest more than simple reflex behaviour. The welfare challenge at the population level is freshwater habitat quality — pollution, channelisation, drainage, and siltation eliminate entire dragonfly communities by destroying the aquatic habitat where larvae spend the majority of their lives. Individual dragonflies caught in spider webs, struck by vehicles, or dying in polluted water experience negative outcomes that aggregate across millions of individuals in degraded landscapes. Freshwater conservation — improving water quality, restoring natural river flows, and creating new pond habitats — benefits dragonflies and the entire aquatic invertebrate community.