Spring Meeting 2025
Click here to register for free
This will be an online event held over Zoom open to members and non-members. It will be free but donations are welcome.
The full programme will be confirmed shortly so please keep an eye on this page.
Confirmed Speakers
Dragonflies on the Bog ~ Scott Shanks, Scotland Project Officer
Meet our newest team member and learn about our exciting new project targeting Scotland rare bog dragonflies.
Understanding predator-prey dynamics in a changing world: insights from damselfly and crayfish interactions ~ Szymon Sniegula, Institute of Nature Conservation
How do invasive alien predators shape the fitness traits of native prey across life stages? Can native prey adapt to the combined effects of biological invasions and climate change? This seminar explores the evolving predator-prey dynamics between the blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans and several crayfish species, focusing on how non-consumptive effects (NCE) from native, alien, and invasive alien crayfish influence prey life history and physiology. By comparing the NCE of different predator types, we examine how seasonal time constraints and warming affect damselfly responses. Additionally, we investigate whether and in what direction macro- and microgeographic variation drive differences in antipredator strategies across egg, larval, and adult stages. This work highlights the importance of integrating ecological, physiological, and evolutionary perspectives for effective conservation in an era of global change.
Priority Sites in Devon ~ Dave Smallshire, author and Devon County Dragonfly Recorder
Priority Sites’ support viable populations of important species, as determined from detailed records of dragonflies. The process of identifying them will be described, followed by the results for Devon over the past 40 years.
European Red List: moving from assessment to conservation planning for Odonata ~ Geert De Knijf, Institute for Nature and Forest Research
The recent reassessment of the 142 Damselfly and Dragonfly species in Europe resulted in the categorization of no less than 29 species (or 21%) as threatened. Nearly all red list species are confined to Mediterranean streams and rivers, or small nutrient-poor waterbodies, such as bogs. The aim of the Assess-to-Plan (A2P) for the European Red List Odonata project is to strengthen the connection between the red list process (the assessment) and conservation action on the ground, through planning. Building from the reassessments and additional knowledge and views of +30 European experts, we developed a preliminary action plan for the species categorised as threatened, using the A2P and multi-species conservation planning approach developed by the IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group. Here we present the most important actions for both groups of species.
Dragonfly Conservation Europe ~ Roy van Grunsven, Dutch Butterfly Conservation
Research on dragonflies has a long history in Europe and in many countries, there are organisations studying dragonflies. There has been an informal network of European odonatologists with a biannual congress, ECOO. However, there was no formal organisation. In order to help put dragonflies on the agenda at a European level and promote collaboration between odonatologists in different countries, Dragonfly Conservation Europe was founded in 2024.
Conservation of Dragonflies: Sentinels for Freshwater Conservation ~ Michael J Samways, Author and Professor at Stellenbosch University
Conservation of Dragonflies: Sentinels for Freshwater Conservation is a new publication for naturalists, citizen scientists, entomologists and conservation scientists, as well as practitioners and policymakers around the world.
Dragonflies are among the most familiar and popular of all insects, deeply embedded in human cultural history. They are iconic and tell us much about the environments in which we and they live. Their conservation is an important part of biodiversity conservation.
Purchase your copy from the NHBS store.
Dragonfly research and conservation in France: national monitoring initiatives and Dragon project ~ Martin Jeanmougin, Dragon Project Manager; Renaud Baeta, ANEPE Caudalis, French association of Centre-Val de Loire, Sogap project manager; Valérie-Anne Lafont, Project Manager of the National Action Plan for Dragonflies, OPIE
Highlighting some national dragonfly monitoring initiatives and research project taking place across the channel. STELI, SOGAP and CIMaE monitoring programs will be presented through their complementarity. Dragon project, which began in 2023, is using opportunistic and standardised data to investigate species distribution and population trends, as well as potential causes and drivers of change and variation.
Programme
| 09:30 | Welcome |
| 09:45 | Priority Sites of Devon |
| 10:15 | Understanding predator-prey dynamics in a changing world: insights from damselfly and crayfish interactions |
| 10:45 | Break |
| 11:00 | Dragonfly research and conservation in France: national monitoring initiatives and Dragon project |
| 11:30 | Dragonflies on the Bog |
| 12:00 | Break |
| 12:15 | Q&A morning speakers |
| 12:45 | Lunch |
| 13:45 | European Red List: moving from assessment to conservation planning for Odonata |
| 14:15 | Dragonfly Conservation Europe |
| 14:45 | Break |
| 15:00 | Conservation of Dragonflies: Sentinels for Freshwater Conservation |
| 15:40 | Q&A afternoon speakers |
| 16:10 | End |
Join BDS & NatureScot to help improve the ponds for dragonflies at this wonderful Hotspot near Tayport in Fife.
10.00am – 3pm. Meet at the Morton Lochs car park – What3Words ref https://what3words.com/
Wear wellies (or waders if you have them), bring waterproofs, lunch & a cup (tea/coffee & biscuits provided).
Please book by filling out the form below:
A bonus meeting to make up for disruption to our schedule caused by poor weather.
Small group field trip to look for and survey Scarce Blue-Tailed Damselflies.
Join us for our Annual Meeting for a day of interesting talks and a chance to network. Open to anyone with an interest in Dragonflies and wetland conservation.
We will also have some information stand with merchandise for sale.
This event is free but donations are welcome which help us cover the cost of the event. Registration is essential; book your ticket by filling in the form below.
Location: The day will be hosted in the Glamorgan Building at Cardiff University.
Refreshments: Teas and coffee will be provided upon arrival
Lunch: Is not provided, please bring your own lunch.
With a brilliant line up of speakers you will hear about the work of the society as well as current research and exciting dragonfly news across the UK. It is also a chance for us to come together a meet like-minded members of the society.
Programme:
| 10:00 | Arrive, registration teas/coffees |
| 10:30 | General Introduction and Announcements |
| 10:45 | Thinking big: Landscape scale conservation on the Gwent Levels – Chris Harris (Living Levels Partnership Programme Manager and BDS CDR) The Living Levels Partnership was formed in 2014 to promote and protect the Gwent Levels. This is a cross-organisational partnership, spanning administrative boundaries, and bringing together like-minded stakeholders to work together to collectively recapture, enhance and celebrate the historic area for all to enjoy. |
| 11:30 | Break |
| 11:45 | Talks from BDS Staff Odonates of Andalucía – Ellie Colver (Conservation Officer) A look at some of the species encountered in the waterways of Andalucía’s national parks. Conservation Work in Scotland – Jen Davidson (Scotland Conservation Officer) An update on exciting new projects in Scotland. |
| 12:30 | AGM led by BDS Trustees. This year’s BDS Accounts Report Trustees standing down and offering for re-election are Carmel Edwards and Josh Younespour: Re-election Trustee Bios New Trustees will be proposed for election as part of the AGM, for information: Proposed Trustee Bio’s |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 | Youth Panel talk – From Hogwarts to the Land of the Rising Sun by Jake Dudderidge Jake will be telling us all about how his study of dragonflies at University took him all the way to Japan! |
| 14:30 | Ponds, Pools and Puddles – Prof Jeremy Biggs (Author and CEO Freshwater Habitat Trust) |
| 15:15 | Local to global pressures on freshwater ecosystems: hope or despair? – Prof Steve Ormerod (Cardiff University) Global data show how freshwaters are losing biodiversity faster than any other ecosystem while there is growing concern about the pollution of streams and rivers in the UK. Data from England and Wales reveal mixed fortunes, however. While there is growing pressures from intensifying agriculture and climate change, other evidence reveals some benefits from past regulatory interventions that provide some hope about the value of taking appropriate action. |
| 16:00 | Networking |
| 16:30 | Close |
Book your ticket here:
If you would like to book without using the online form, please contact Membership and Operations Officer Jess Slight by telephone or post.
Join us in celebrating Dragonflies across Britain!
During Dragonfly Week the BDS and other wildlife organisations host events celebrating Dragonflies and the importance of their wetland habitat.
Dragonfly Week events will be listed on the BDS Event page.
Resources will be made available via the Dragonfly Week page.
There are two walks on this day:
Morning: 10:30-13:00 Book here
Afternoon: 14:00-16:30 Book here
£5 per person (kids go free); bring on the day.
These are joint walks between Natural England and the British Dragonfly Society.
This guided walk will introduce you to the rare quaking bog habitat and the endangered White-faced Darters that live there.
Meeting/ parking place: Grid reference: SK 02219 28970. Meeting point is on A518 Stafford to Uttoxeter road, 4 miles west of Uttoxeter and 7 miles east of Stafford. Approaching from the Stafford direction, please park on the wide grassy road verge 1 mile beyond Chartley castle. Approaching from Uttoxeter the meeting point is 0.3 miles past the timber yard/ former filling station. A useful landmark at the meeting point is a tarmac farm drive with green iron gateposts and a number of copper beech trees. Please be extremely careful when parking, this is a very fast and dangerous stretch of road.
Image by L.B. Tettenborn