Atlases are regularly updated reference works that provide a quick overview of the distribution of species in a given area. Creating or updating an atlas is a key step in understanding changes in the status of species, as it summarises and compares historical and current data.
In Switzerland, as elsewhere in Europe, wetlands now occupy 10-20% of their surface area in 1850, and the vast majority of the remaining surface is threatened by various constraints. Among the species linked to these environments and which have suffered this widespread decline, dragonflies are charismatic organisms in the eyes of the public and ambassadors for the preservation of these environments.
In the Geneva basin, the last dragonfly atlas dates back to 1996 for the Swiss part and 2020 for the French part. A cross-border atlas project started in 2019, with the aim of updating and pooling survey and editorial efforts.
The distribution maps cover more than 50,000 data items corresponding to over sixty species. They are being produced by HEPIA and will show 3 periods of data.
Publication of the final work is scheduled for the first half of 2025.
Project partner(s)
Project leader - team
Patrice Prunier
(HEPIA),
Léo Méroth
(HEPIA)
