De gevolgen van de Habitatrichtlijn voor de wettelijke bescherming van libellen in Nederland

Bal, D. & D. Groenendijk, 2006. Consequences of the Habitats Directive for the legal protection of dragonflies in The Netherlands. Brachytron 9(1/2): 38-48. The European Habitats Directive offers an import framework for national legislation concerning nature conservation. Several species of dragonflies (Odonata) have been incorporated in the annexes of this directive. Of the twelve dragonfly species of Annex IV eight species are indigenous in The Netherlands. In accordance with the directive these eight species are protected by the Dutch Flora and Fauna Act. Of the nine dragonfly species of Annex II, four species are indigenous in The Netherlands, but only two have populations at the moment: Leucorrhinia pectoralis and Ophiogomphus cecilia. Therefore, only for these two species Special Protection Areas will be assigned under the Nature Conservation Act, as part of the European Natura 2000 network. The conservation status of both species is ‘unfavourable – bad’, so measures have to be taken to ensure that the status will become ‘favourable’. Several other dragonfly species will be selected as ‘typical species’ of habitat types and, therefore, will become an important indicator for the quality of many Dutch Nature 2000 sites.