The dragonfly fauna of the Deurnsche Peel, a peat moor in the eastern part of The Netherlands was investigated in 1963, 1988 and 2002/2003. The results over the total period show serious changes. Specialists of the peat land habitat, such as Somatochlora arctica, Coenagrion hastulatum and Leucorrhinia pectoralis have disappeared. Furthermore, Aeshna viridis, which used to be found on the peat canals where Stratiodes aloides grew, was neither found in 1988 nor in 2002/2003. The trend, however, was an overall increase in the total number of dragonfly species. New species are mainly non-specialists, vagrants or species associated with running water. Although no more species disappeared between 1988 and 2002/2003, there was a dramatic decrease in some characteristic species, in particular Sympetrum danae, Coenagrion lunulatum and Aeshna juncea. The species that increased are mainly those associated with running water, those with a southern distribution or species that were on the increase throughout the country. From 1997 onwards, several measures have been taken to restore the Deurnsche Peel, with the aim of increasing the Sphagnum growth in the ditches. Hopefully, these measures will have a positive effect on the occurrence of characteristic peat land dragonflies in this area.

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Brachytron

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Nederlandse Vereniging voor Libellenstudie

Jaap H. Bouwman. (2007). Veranderingen in de libellenfauna van de Deurnsche Peel van 1963 tot 2003. Brachytron, 10(2), 174–184.