Deacon Charl, Samways Michael J
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa.
Insects. 2021 Feb 24;12(3):190. doi: 10.3390/insects12030190.
Urban settlements range from small villages in rural areas to large metropoles with densely packed infrastructures. Urbanization presents many challenges to the maintenance of freshwater quality and conservation of freshwater biota, especially in Africa. There are many opportunities as well, particularly by fostering contributions from citizen scientists. We review the relationships between dragonflies and urbanization in southern Africa. Shifts in dragonfly assemblages indicate environmental change, as different species are variously sensitive to abiotic and biotic water and bank conditions. They are also conservation umbrellas for many other co-occurring species. Major threats to southern African dragonflies include increasing infrastructure densification, frequent droughts, habitat loss, pollution, and invasive alien vegetation. Mitigation measures include implementation of conservation corridors, maintenance of healthy permanent ponds, pollution reduction, and removal of invasive alien trees. Citizen science is now an important approach for supplementing and supporting professional scientific research.
城市住区范围从农村地区的小村庄到基础设施密集的大型大都市。城市化给淡水水质维护和淡水生物群保护带来了诸多挑战，尤其是在非洲。同时也存在许多机遇，特别是通过促进公民科学家的贡献。我们回顾了南部非洲蜻蜓与城市化之间的关系。蜻蜓群落的变化表明了环境变化，因为不同物种对非生物和生物水及河岸条件的敏感程度各不相同。它们也是许多其他共生物种的保护伞。南部非洲蜻蜓面临的主要威胁包括基础设施密度增加、频繁干旱、栖息地丧失、污染和外来入侵植被。缓解措施包括实施保护走廊、维护健康的永久性池塘、减少污染以及清除外来入侵树木。公民科学现在是补充和支持专业科学研究的重要方法。
