GLOM 2006

1. Qui est tu, jiiweganaabii, libellule, dragonfly? GLOM 2006

2. Wetlands • Occupy 6% of the earth's land and freshwater surface. • Some wetlands have been reduced by as much as 50% worldwide. • 40% of the world’s human populations experience serious water shortages. • Wetlands: store water, reduce flooding, purifying process, provide habitat.

4. Facts about Wetlands in Canada • Approx. 14% of Canada is covered by wetlands. • ON, MB and the NWT contain the largest area of wetlands. • Conflicts between wetland conservation and wetland utilization are concentrated in southern Ontario • Agricultural expansion is the major cause of 85% of Canada's wetland losses.

5. Facts about Wetlands in Canada • Since European settlement, wetland conversion to agriculture is estimated at over 20 million hectares • Over 80% of the wetlands near major urban centres have been converted to agricultural use or urban expansion. • Less than 0.2% of Canada's wetlands lie within 40 kilometres of major urban centres (the 23 largest urban areas which contain 55% of Canada's pop.

6. Wetlands • The productive ecosystem on Earth. • Carbon sinks - The natural kidneys • Flood barriers - Critical habitat

7. What Are Wetlands? Bog Fen Peatland Swamp

8. The Value of Wetlands • $93.2 billion (2002) • Habitat • Recreation and cultural use • Irrigation • Flooding • Water purification and sinks for pollutants • Carbon sink • Commercial harvesting (muskrat) • Commercial fisheries • Forestry (peatlands softwood and wetlands hardwood) • Aquaculture • Market gardens or managed peatlands • Energy production (peat) • Agricultural activities (wild rice, cranberries)

11. The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Iran, 1971) • Intergovernmental treaty providing the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. • 147 Contracting Parties to the Convention • 1524 wetland sites, totaling 129.2 million hectares.

12. Canada: 36 sitescovering 13,051,501 ha

13. How many kinds are there? • About 5000 species of Odonata are presently formally described. • Expert 'guesses' put the total number of species at between 5500 and 6500.

14. What's the difference between a dragonfly and a damselfly? • Generally larger, more robust animals. • In most species the eyes touch, or almost touch, at the top of the head • The fore and hind wings differ in shape (the base of the hindwings being broader) and the wingbases are quite broad. • Wings are usually held spread when at rest.

16. Does Size Matter? • How big do they get? • The Central American Megaloprepus coerulatus, (wingspan of 19 cm). • The Permian Meganeuropsis permiana with a reconstructed wingspan of about 70-75 cm. • How small do they get? • The smallest adult Zygoptera (damselflies) are in the genus Agriocnemis with wingspans of 17-18 mm. • The smallest dragonfly - Nannophyopsis chalcosoma from Borneo, (wingspan of about 25mm).

17. Life-History • Temperate species live less than a month as adults. • Some as much as 6 months. • No dragonfly is known which lives a year as an adult. • Larval life spans can approach a decade in alpine and high arctic habitats. • What is the shortest life-history? • Egg to adult durations of about 40 days are recorded from small tropical damselflies

18. Who Eats Them? • Fish, birds • Other insects (wasp, spiders) • Other dragonflies • Black Bears • Humans (curry soup)

19. The Birds, The Bees and Charismatic Micro-Fauna

20. What’s The Attraction?

21. What’s The Attraction? • Power, predatory • Engineering • Science • The North American Dragonfly Migration Project

22. What’s The Attraction? • Flight, power, beauty • Poetry • Food source • Leisure, recreation • Dragon hunting • Dragon ponds • Engineering • Science • Green darner migration • The North American Dragonfly Migration Project

23. Why The Sudden Interest? National Geographic, April 2005

24. Odonata In The News: The Rainham Marshes, England • The Emeral Damselfy (Lestes dryas) and the Rainham Marshes Development project (Harrison & Burgess, 1994). • No go land • Why declare it a special site if you’re not going to manage it? • What’s that thing? I’ve never seen it.

25. Protected Areas • Sanctuaries (Britain, Japan) • Dragonfly Trails (SA) • Khao Phanom Bencha NP, Thailand • Siribhum waterfalls – flower gardens • Tourism (Thailand)

26. Method • Inductive analysis • Participant observations • Interviews (20)

27. Natureworks HUMANITY Humanistic View Nature is a resource Protectionist: View Rights and responsibilities Organic View We are nature NATURE

28. Field-based Education

29. Hand's on experience Beauty habitat Credibility? awareness Protection? Collecting

30. Natureworks HUMANITY Humanistic View Nature is a resource Protectionist: View Rights and responsibilities Organic View We are nature NATURE

31. Protecting the Guardians of the Watershed Wetlands • 6% of the earth's land and freshwater surface • 14% of Canada's total land area. • Some wetlands have been reduced by as much as 50% worldwide. • Urbanization and agricultural expansion is the major cause of 85% of Canada's wetland losses.

33. Future Outlook • Sanctuaries • Protection • Research • Multi and interdisciplinary • National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation • Education • Management • Politicians • ENGOs • Citizens • Responsibility © Morgenstern,  2004

34. Action Research? • Research and education • Community Activism (citizen science) • Dragonfly Symposium (July 10, 2007) hosted by the Ozhaawashko-giizhig Traditional Teaching Lodge & the Métis Nation of Ontario http://www.blueskyteachinglodge.ca/ • Artisans • Signing • Dancing • Knowledge exchanges • Cultural exchanges • Story telling © 2004, Bill Morgenstern