Belvai odonata workshop in butterfly park

Mangaluru

Taking a major step towards documenting odonate diversity and nurturing citizen science, Sammilan Shetty's Butterfly Park in Belvai is set to host the first Belvai Odonata Workshop-2025.

This three-day residential programme will focus on the dragonflies and damselflies of the Western Ghats. The workshop will be held from May 30 to June 1, under the SSBCRT initiative, and is open to nature enthusiasts, students, and early-career researchers.

Odonates, an ancient order of insects that include dragonflies (anisoptera), damselflies (zygoptera), and the relict group anisozygoptera, are vital indicators of freshwater ecosystem health.

He said India boasts over 500 species of odonates, showcasing extraordinary diversity across varied landscapes. The Western Ghats are home to nearly 210 odonate species, of which around 82 are endemic to the region.

Dragonflies are not just stunning to observe; they are key indicators of ecosystem health. This workshop is our attempt to bring more attention to their conservation and to build a community of informed naturalists who can contribute meaningfully to science and nature, said Sammilan Shetty, founder, Butterfly Park.

Participants of the workshop will be mentored by Dr Dattaprasad Avinash Sawant, a Physician and Odonatologist with over 15 scientific publications, and editor at Odonata of India, and A Vivek Chandran, a doctoral researcher working on odonates of Kerala's Kole wetlands, council member of the Society for Odonate Studies (SOS), and co-author of several new species descriptions from the Western Ghats.

Participants will get a chance to explore diverse habitats, from shaded forest streams to sunlit ponds, and observe how these microhabitats influence the presence and behaviour of odonates, said Dr Sawant. They will also learn to identify species using features like wing venation and abdominal coloration, while documenting important behaviours such as courtship and predation, he said.

The Butterfly Park itself, nestled in 7.4 acres has been a hub for biodiversity research for over a decade. It documented 158 butterfly species, 125 spider species, over 100 species of mushrooms, 110 species of birds, various amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. The odonata workshop builds on this foundation of exploration and knowledge-sharing, said Sammilan, who is also the organiser of the workshop.
The organisers are offering three free participation slots to eligible applicants and a 25 percent concession for students with valid ID. Each batch is limited to 15 participants.