Dragonflies on the Bog Project

The Dragonflies on the Bog Project was supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, which is managed by NatureScot. The Dragonflies on the Bog Project set out to restore and protect valuable bog pool habitat which is necessary and vital for the future of rare peatland dragonfly species in Scotland. These key species have been newly recognised as priority on the Scottish Biodiversity List (Scottish Government, 2025) as “dragonfly bog species assemblage” during the timeline of the project.

Bog pools and peatlands are a risk from climate change and other land use. This project aimed to make this habitat more resilient by working in stronghold areas for the rare species in the north-west Highlands. The BDS worked in partnership with eight different landowners in landscape clusters to ensure dragonfly bog pool habitat, at threat from drying out and being lost, could be made resilient by restoration measures.

The BDS consider the project to have been very successful in its delivery with headline delivery statistics including:

• 8 significant landholdings and landowners involved in the project.
• 350 bog pools and pool complexes restored.
• 42 ha of pools directly restored with benefits for 116 ha of wider landscape.
• 554 bunds and dams created helping to hold more water in pools and on bogs.
• 578 sumps and deepened sections of pools created ensuring they are more resilient to drying events as well as providing refuge for bog pool invertebrates.
• 4 training courses delivered with 35 attendees.
• Successful early surveys from post restoration checks showing rare species present at Kinloch Woodlands and the Corrour Estate.

The project focussed on habitat for the following rare peatland species:

The White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia dubia) is a peatland specialist, breeding in deep bog pools with floating Sphagnum moss which is used for egg-laying by adults and as a refuge by larvae.

The Azure Hawker (Aeshna caerulea) is an upland blanket bog specialist that within the UK is only found in Scotland. It generally breeds in shallow bog pools with floating aquatic Sphagnum and lots of soupy material at the bottom. Due to cooler conditions in the uplands it can take 4-5 years for larvae to go from egg through to emergence as an adult.

The Northern Emerald (Somatochlora arctica) breeds in bog pools, small runnels and slow flowing drainage ditches on peatland in north-west Scotland, often with floating Sphagnum moss. Breeding sites are often next to woodland as adults feed amongst the tree canopy.

Other threatened peatland species that benefited from this project included Common Hawker (Aeshna juncea) and Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) which have both undergone rapid declines across Europe in recent years.