About one-third of India ’s known dragonfly and damselfly species could have gone extinct due to rapid urbanisation in recent years, a first-of-its-kind survey reveals amid an alarming decline in global insect populations .

The landmark two-year survey across India’s pristine Western Ghats points to a worrying trend in the region, considered one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

Researchers warn that the likely local extinction of dragonfly and damselfly species is particularly alarming, as such species are sensitive to environmental changes, depending on freshwater ecosystems for reproduction.

The missing dragonflies and damselflies, also known as odonates, indicate that other groups of animals could also be under threat in this region.

These species are widely regarded as “indicator taxa” as they have a relatively short life cycle and quickly respond to changes.

Their absence in the Western Ghats directly reflects the ecological health of water bodies, scientists say.

Photograph shows a dragonfly…