Dragonflies help protect water and ancestral Indigenous languages in Colombia

Researchers Yiselle Cano and Jenilee Montes have spent three years cataloguing dragonflies and damselflies in Colombia's Guainía region, pushing the known species count from about 10 toward roughly 120, spanning insects native to the Orinoco, Amazon, and Guiana Shield.

Finding that Latin species names meant nothing to local Indigenous communities, the project pivoted to workshops where Puinave, Tucano, and Curripaco community members coined or recovered names in their own languages, including newly created Puinave terms for species like the long-winged damselfly.

The dragonflies double as water-quality indicators, which matters because deforestation for charcoal and a 25% jump in regional tourism are straining local water sources; researchers note there is no rubbish collection along the river, so waste piles up as visitor numbers climb.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.