Dragonflies and damselflies are ancient insects that have been around since the age of the dinosaurs. But now the aerial predators may be in trouble as climate change and human development are drying up the freshwater habitat they need to survive.

One in five Mediterranean dragonflies and damselflies is threatened with extinction because of Increasing scarcity of freshwater in the region, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said today.

Climate change and habitat degradation, due to the way land is managed, are also affecting the insects, says a report by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Photo of Large White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia pectoralis) by Fabio Pupin/IUCN

Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the order of insects called Odonata. They have been around in one form or another since the Jurassic era, well more than a hundred million years ago. Giant specimens with wingspans of more than two feet have been found in the fossil record. About 6,500 species survive today.

Aerial predators that hunt by sight, dragonflies and damselflies generally are found at or near fresh water. The larvae are predatory, aquatic and occur in all manner of inland waters, according to the Web of Life.

Common Pond Damsel  (Ceriagrion glabrum) photo by Elisa Riservato/IUCN

The Red List assessment of 163 Mediterranean dragonflies and damselflies shows five are Critically Endangered, 13 are Endangered, another 13 are Vulnerable, 27 are Near Threatened, 96 are Least Concern and six are Data Deficient, meaning there is not enough information to classify them, but they might also be threatened.

"It is likely things will only get worse for these unique species as climate change and increased water demand take their toll," says Jean Pierre Boudot, member of the IUCN Dragonfly Specialist Group and co-author of the report. "Lower levels of precipitation and drought will lead to degradation of the habitats where the majority of dragonflies and damselflies live."

Photo of Glittering Demoiselle (Calopteryx exul) by Jean-Pierre Boudot/IUCN

Four species are already listed as Extinct in the Mediterranean, including the Little Whisp (Agriocnemis exilis), the Common Pond Damsel (Ceriagrion glabrum), the Phantom Flutterer (Rhyothemis semihyalina) and the Darting Cruiser (Phyllomacromia africana).

"Dragonflies are generally known for being good indicators of water quality," IUCN says in a statement about the report. "Major threats for 67 percent of these Mediterranean species are habitat degradation and pollution. The Spotted Darter (Sympetrum depressiusculum), which used to be common in the Mediterranean, is now listed as Vulnerable and is declining due to the intensification of agricultural practices in rice fields."

Banded Darter (Sympetrum pedemontanum) photo by Fabio Pupin/IUCN

Fourteen percent of these insect species can be found only in Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems, some of the richest and most threatened habitats, among which nine have been assessed as Endangered or Vulnerable. According to the report, the highest numbers of endemic dragonflies are present in the South and West of the Mediterranean, with the Maghreb and the Levant areas being regional hotspots of endemism.

"The Glittering Demoiselle (Calopteryx exul), for example, is listed as Endangered and is in decline. It inhabits the aquatic habitats of the Maghreb, whose ecosystems are under pressure due to water-harnessing for human use, water pollution, irrigation and drought," IUCN says.

"Long-term coordinated actions are needed at regional, national and international level, and the results of this report highlight the responsibility that Mediterranean countries have to protect the global populations.

"Though some species are already receiving some conservation attention thanks to international laws, such as the Ornate Bluet (Coenagrion ornatum) which is included in the European Habitat Directive, others are not protected at all, despite their high risk of extinction."

Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) photo by Jean-Pierre Boudot/IUCN

"The selection and protection of key sites are essential to ensure the survival of these species," says IUCN's Annabelle Cuttelod, co-author of the report. "Their ecological requirements need to be taken into account in the planning and management of water use, especially for agriculture purposes or infrastructure development. IUCN Red List data can inform both processes."

In addition to the Mediterranean odonata assessment, 1,912 species of amphibians, birds, cartilaginous fishes, endemic freshwater fishes, crabs and crayfish, mammals, and reptiles have been assessed to date in the Mediterranean region. About 19 percent of these species are threatened with extinction: 5 percent Critically Endangered, 7 percent Endangered and 7 percent Vulnerable, IUCN says.

Spotted Darter (Sympetrum depressiusculum) photo by Jean-Pierre Boudot/IUCN.

The assessment was carried out with the support of relevant scientists from the countries bordering the Mediterranean Basin in collaboration with the IUCN Dragonfly Specialist Group, to which they contributed with their expertise to gather the data, and to assess the conservation status that would be the basis for future conservation action.

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo meridionalis) photo by Jean Pierre Boudot/IUCN

This project was funded by the European Commission, the Mava Foundation and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID).

Ornate Bluet (Coenagrion ornatum) photo by Jean-Pierre Boudot/IUCN

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National Geographic grantee Cagan H. Sekercioglu was in Istanbul this week to witness the heaviest one-day rainfall in the capital of Turkey in 80 years--more than seven inches in 24 hours.

He posted an account of the experience and the floods, and the reasons why it was such a disaster, on iReport, a user-generated news site. It is republished here. The video is an Al Jazeera account of the disaster posted on YouTube.

Debris and damaged vehicles are seen after flash floods in Ikitelli, Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. Flash floods gushed across a major highway and a commercial district in Istanbul, killing 20 people and stranding dozens in cars on rooftops, the city's governor said. As waters rose more than a meter (3 feet) high in the city's Ikitelli district, motorists climbed on roofs of their vehicles waiting to be rescued. The floods occurred in the early hours as people began making their way to work, washing over a main road linking the city to an industrial area, an airport and a highway to Greece and Bulgaria.(AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)

Revenge of the Ayamama: the Istanbul Flood

By Cagan H. Sekercioglu

Istanbul, Turkey--I am a Turkish ecologist, ornithologist, and conservation biologist at Stanford University Center for Conservation Biology. I am in Istanbul, on my way to our wetland and bird conservation project in Kars, eastern Turkey. [Read about this project in an earlier NatGeo News Watch entry: Turkey's First Island Sanctuary for Birds Is Built From an Old Dirt Road.]

My parents live 300 meters [330 yards] away from the Ayamama Stream, which flooded parts of Istanbul today.

A lot of people got affected because buildings and roads were built in or near the stream bed, which was flooded.

Where my parents live, in Atakoy, there are no apartment buildings near the stream, just hobby gardens and a construction zone. I watch birds along the stream regularly and was last there only two days ago.

The stream is extremely polluted, carrying all the industrial waste and sewage of the part of Istanbul that got flooded. Still, there are 3-meter-tall reedbeds along the stream and I recorded 31 bird species so far.

Before it got polluted and industrialized, this stream and surrounding habitats would have supported over 150 bird species, especially during migration.

"The bridge I normally walk across had disappeared under reeds and trash."

I went back today at 3 p.m. and it was quite a sight. The bridge I normally walk across had disappeared under reeds and trash. The stream had risen three meters and construction workers told me in the morning it was five meters above normal and had flooded their sheds.

Ayamama Stream was full of garbage and mud, and a TV set floated past me. The reeds were almost completely covered by water. The reeds you see on the right side of the photos [see photos here] normally form the left border of the stream.

Still, no buildings got flooded in Atakoy and nobody got hurt because there were no houses near the stream, mostly green space, construction and hobby gardens.

Video by Al Jazeera

Many watersheds in Istanbul have been built over, often illegally, and this is what happens every a few decades.

Yesterday, Istanbul received the highest daily rainfall of the last 80 years.

In Ikitelli district, ground zero, 181 millimeters/m2 of rain fell in the past 24 hours. That equals 7.24 inches, about the rainfall Phoenix, Arizona gets in an entire year.

Most loss of lives and property happened because of illegal, unplanned construction in stream beds and watersheds.

Where there was no such construction, like in Atakoy, Ayamama stream rose five meters but no one got hurt.

All these polluted streams in Istanbul need to be cleaned and turned into green spaces for the public to enjoy.

On the other hand, Atakoy itself is built upon former wetlands and is on soft ground. It is prone to earthquakes and flooding is not out of question in the future.

Cagan H. Sekercioglu is an ecologist, ornithologist and conservation biologist at Stanford University Center for Conservation Biology. His first grant from the National Geographic Committee For Research and Exploration was in 2004. His most recent grant in 2008 supports a project in Costa Rica, where he is studying what happens to birds after they leave the nest and before they become independent. Tropical songbirds in the area are on the decline, and Sekercioglu hopes to learn whether their dwindling population is mainly tied to mortality during the fledgling period of their lives.

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Finding water is usually the work of women and girls, according to Joke Muylwijk, executive director of the Gender Water Alliance, a network of more than a thousand people around the globe dedicated to equitable access to water resources and decision-making.

"There are some women who spend their whole lives looking for water," Muylwijk said.

Gary White is executive director of WaterPartners, a nonprofit that aims to provide safe water and sanitation in developing countries.

According to White, 200 million hours are spent every day walking to collect water. "It is a huge opportunity cost for women who could be working paying jobs, or children who could be in school," he added.

Muylwijk and White said women are generally absent in water decisions, but should play a critical role.

For example, Muylwijk said, the opening ceremony of the 5th World Water Forum was conducted by men only and out of 19 members on the forum steering committee there are no women.

At least in the developing world, women are generally more invested in water resources, and are more likely to carry an improvement project through to completion, White said.

Fadia Daibes, an independent consultant working on water resource management and policy in East Jerusalem, tells National Geographic more about the role, or lack of a role, women play in delicate Israeli-Palestinian water negotiations.

Video interview by Tasha Eichenseher

Meena Bilgi calls herself a gender advocate.

Based in Gujarat, India, Bilgi is employed by governments, nonprofits, and development agencies to advise on how and why to include women in water, agriculture, and health projects.

She said it may take years for men in rural communities, where she works, to accept women in official decision-making or managerial roles.

"Mainstreaming gender is a gradual process," she said.

But, according to Bilgi, many development projects in India fail because they don't include women, who are usually more familiar with the available natural resources because they are often the ones in the fields, grazing cattle in the forests, and fetching water.

Bilgi tells National Geographic more about her work and progress she and her colleagues have made.

Video interview by Tasha Eichenseher

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Earlier blog posts from the 5th World Water Forum:

Lack of Toilets "One of the Biggest Scandals in the Last 50 Years"

Nuggets of Hope in the Face of Bleak Outlook for Freshwater

Africa's Water News: Green Beer, At-Risk Aquatic Life, Clean Hands 

Tasha Eichenseher's attendance at the 5th World Water Forum is sponsored by Media21 -- a Switzerland-based journalism foundation that brings reporters and producers from around the globe to work together on coverage of major issues such as human rights, climate change, and health.

More than 20,000 people from at least 175 countries are buzzing around Istanbul this week talking about water.

The freshwater that forms Earth's rivers, lakes, aquifer, glaciers, and wetlands --- the same water that fills our glasses and toilet bowls -- connects every one of the planet's 6.5 billion citizens and myriad aquatic species.

Water is embedded in every unit of energy we use, meal we eat, and piece of clothing we wear.

It is essential for life, yet, according to the United Nations, there are nearly 1 billion people without access to a safe, clean source, and 2.5 billion without access to adequate sanitation. [Read the National Geographic News story: Lack of Toilets Harming Health of Billions, UN Report Says.]

Policy makers, economists, scientists, engineers, development agencies, business leaders, and environmental organizations have convened in Turkey for the 5th World Water Forum to find a way to avoid water bankruptcy and achieve global water security.

They face an enormous challenge. According to a report the U.N. released yesterday, the future looks bleak.

Population growth, the financial crisis, and poverty coupled with climate change put a wrench in plans to provide basic water service, according to the report, which looked at water management in 25 countries.

African countries are in the worst shape. In Sudan, where rainfall has decreased over the last several years, nearly 55 percent of all freshwater is used for agriculture, and water use for crops is expected to double by 2025.

Asia and island countries in the Pacific are home to almost 60 percent of the world population, but only 36 percent of the planet's freshwater.

In the decades before 2000, China had an average of about 66 billion cubic meters of renewable water resources. Today, because of pollution and other factors, the country has less than an estimated 49 billion cubic meters while demand has steadily risen.

In Europe, climate change may cause sea level rise that floods two-thirds of the Netherlands -- where 96 percent of the population lives below sea level. And Istanbul itself faces significantly diminished groundwater due to saltwater intrusion from rising seas and unsustainable extraction.

"Inaction is no longer an option, and stepping out of the single sector 'water box' is necessary to properly address mounting problems," according to the report, referring to how water decisions have traditionally not been linked to other critical issues such as finance.

But buried in the halls of the conference center -- part of which is a renovated factory that once provided fez hats and clothing for the Ottoman army -- there are success stories that can rise above the gloom and doom scenarios.

The U.N. report highlights a handful: irrigation efficiency improvements in Tunisia; decreased water use in Estonia; and legal rights to a minimum quantity of drinking water in Argentina.

Stay tuned for more.

Tasha Eichenseher's attendance at the 5th World Water Forum is sponsored by Media21 -- a Switzerland-based journalism foundation that brings reporters and producers from around the globe to work together on coverage of major issues such as human rights, climate change, and health.

NGS photo of Istanbul by David Boyer