Diversity of Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) in Tropical Wetland Parks: Implications for Urban Biodiversity Conservation

Although urbanization can improve human well-being, it also can pose threats to biodiversity, particularly in urban freshwater ecosystems of tropical regions where rapid land development often outpaces sustainable land management. However, the capacity of urban systems, such as urban wetland parks, to maintain biodiversity under accelerating anthropogenic pressures and urban expansion remains relatively less understood. Therefore, we investigated odonate diversity and community structure in two urban wetland parks (Diyasaru Park (DP) and Weli Park (WP)) that differ in habitat structure and anthropogenic disturbance, examining how diversity and community composition respond to habitat characteristics and human pressures. At both parks, Brachythemis contaminata was the most abundant odonate taxon, followed by Rhyothemis variegata. Although the urban wetland park with the least anthropogenic disturbances, DP, exhibited slightly higher species richness, none of the diversity metrics (richness, Shannon, and evenness indices) differed significantly between parks. Community composition analyses did not reveal distinct differences between urban wetland parks, even though the park with the most anthropogenic disturbances showed greater community variability. The odonate composition in DP showed that the majority (83.3%, 20 species) was classified as Least Concern under national conservation status, while a similar result was observed in WP (86.4%, 19 species). Resident species dominated the odonate assemblages at both sites, comprising 91.7% (22 species) at DP and 86.4% (19 species) at WP. Despite clear contrasts in human disturbance and habitat structure, both urban wetland parks supported similar odonate diversity, suggesting that odonate alpha diversity can remain resistant to disturbance in urban wetlands. We emphasize the need for biodiversity monitoring in urban wetland parks, especially in tropical cities of the Global South, which can inform wetland management and urban green-space planning.