4. Other Knowledge

In addition to increasing our knowledge of the habitats and distributions of the species of dragonflies considered at risk we learned much more about the habitat needs, status and behaviour of the more common species. A few examples of the latter species are given here. Somatachlora walshii (Scudder) was originally known only from half a dozen locations scattered throughout the southern half of the province. It is now clear that this species is widespread across the southern two-thirds of the province and that it inhabits many spring-fed wetlands containing slow moving water. We had always assumed that Aeshna subarctica was more common than the scanty records indicated; our surveys confirmed this. Even though it was known from the southern Yukon (Cannings et al. 1991), Somatochlora minor had been only found in British Columbia south of 52°N. We now have several records from as far north as Fort Nelson. A large amount of other species-specific information is recorded in the individual species accounts in Appendix 4.

These results highlight the value of intensive, targeted surveys and illustrate the dynamic nature of the ranked lists. A common question posed by wildlife or land managers and policy makers is, "How can we reduce the number of species on tracked or "at risk" lists?" Undertaking inventories focused on particular species is the most straightforward way to answer the question. Intensive collecting often reveals that many species appear rare only because they are poorly sampled. In the course of establishing distributions and numbers during inventories, other criteria that are used to establish conservation status ranks can be determined; including habitat or threats. The resulting lists can then be used to focus efforts and resources on those species or habitats that are truly at risk, either by addressing the threats or considering recovery planning. This is, of course, true for not only the Odonata but for all taxa. Inventories not only fill key gaps in our knowledge, but also focus future studies on species and regions for which there is still a lack of information.